When you start out in the writing community, you’re learning, and part of that process is seeing those before you rise. Just as you’re entering the query trenches, there are others being lifted out of them with agent representation and publishing deals, and you wait patiently for the day that person will be you. Before …
While writing might be a solitary affair, the reality is that writing with no distractions doesn’t happen as often as we’d like. Responsibilities, jobs, kids—basically life—eats into that creative time and are usually the priority for the hours in your day. And while that’s the way it should be, now and then, putting your writing …
Being a modern writer has a lot of perks. We get to use computers and grammar checkers to craft our masterpieces. We also have social media to get the word out about our work on a global scale. Another advantage of modern technology is podcasts, and how anyone with a microphone and one of those …
If you read last week’s blog post, you’ll know we looked at some common writing gremlins, such as overwriting, multiple gestures, extra staging, etc (check out the full post here). When the post went live, a few readers commented on underwriting being one of their gremlins. As a chronic overwriter, underwriting hadn’t occurred to me, …
When you become a writer, one of the "rules" you're advised to learn is to avoid info-dumping. If you haven't heard of it before, it's when the writer bombards the reader with everything they think they should know—all at once. While you might think there's no way you do that, info-dumping is an easy trap …
I usually like my first blog for a new year to be all about resolutions, but after the year that was 2020, and with 2021 shaping up to be more of the same, making resolutions or plans is a moot point (or a cow's opinion—a reference for anyone who spent a good chunk of lockdown …
Ah, point of view (POV), a writing essential to include in your book but something that you can get so easily wrong. It doesn't take much to slip from the view of the character who is telling your story, and you might not even notice you've done it. That's where the following advice comes in …
Continue reading Point Of View Errors! How To Spot And Fix Them
If the thought of rising early to write has you automatically hitting the snooze button, you’re not alone. I once balked at getting up before the sun to pursue my literary dreams. I’d much rather stay warm, wrapped up in blankets than trudge to my writing desk, and work on something bleary-eyed. But then things …
Even if you lean toward being a pantser rather than a planner, or are a hybrid of the two, getting yourself even a little organized makes a huge difference for the productivity of your writing. I've learned this over years of first turning my writing hobby into something more serious while balancing work commitments and …
K.M. Allan 