Who sees more action, mermaids or vampires? And why do people all over the world believe in dragons? Find out!
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How do you feel about pop culture references in books?
Abercrombie. Nickelback. American Idol. Razr. Would you keep reading a book if you encountered these pop culture references in the first chapter? Learn the psychology behind both sides of the argument!
The Master List of 2017 Writers’ Conferences
Are you itching to meet other writers? Snag an agent? Sell some books? My friend, it's time to get yourself to a writers' conference.
11 Sentences I’m Proud Of
A month ago, I talked about why writers dislike their own writing. Today, I'm taking a different tack. I'm sharing some of the sentences that bring me satisfaction when I re-read my manuscript. Since Eleanor is a character-driven novel, I have grouped the sentences by character. Hope you enjoy! About Eleanor 1) She had speaking eyes and a late-blooming … Continue reading 11 Sentences I’m Proud Of
When Habits of Speech Attack!
Thanks to my hometown library's vast collection of eBooks, I've finally started reading books that were written in the twenty-first century! They sound strikingly different from the eighteenth century PDFs that I've been subsisting on since I moved to Brazil and left behind bookstores with books written in English. Part of that, I know, is stylistic, … Continue reading When Habits of Speech Attack!
Why do writers dislike their own writing?
Last night, I hit 11,300 words in my new novel. (Asking yourself what happened to Eleanor? See this post). Writing a first draft is always a weird process for me. On one hand, the first draft is probably my most exhilarating draft. It is raw ideas splashed across a page. It is something created from … Continue reading Why do writers dislike their own writing?
Criss Cross: Do Books Really Need Plots?
Criss Cross, a Newberry Medal winner from Lynn Rae Perkins, begins with the sentence, "She wished something would happen." This sentence is followed up with a meandering story, told from the perspective of six different adolescents across the span of one summer. Nothing dramatic happens to any of them. None of them end up dating each other. … Continue reading Criss Cross: Do Books Really Need Plots?
Writers Respond to Famous Quotes
A few weeks ago, three of my favorite bloggers agreed to form a writing panel for today's post. I asked them to respond to five quotes about a writer's identity, and in their responses, they produced some smashing quotes of their own. First, a quick introduction... Paul is a retired English professor who has published several short … Continue reading Writers Respond to Famous Quotes
What will these 6 robots say about your writing?
The year 2016 gave us our first feature film written by Artificial Intelligence, and it was...ridiculous. While AI clearly isn't ready to join writers behind the big screen or on the library shelf, the bots are capable of extracting insight from pre-written content. In fact, you can learn a lot about your writing by subjecting it to computer analysis. … Continue reading What will these 6 robots say about your writing?
Why Does the South Get Its Own Genre?
I didn't just grow up in the south. I grew up on southern fiction,moving up from children's books like Because of Winn Dixie and Bud, Not Buddy to the more intense Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry! and To Kill a Mockingbird and finally to the truly haunting The Color Purple and Absalom, Absalom! The fact that one branch of regional literature could … Continue reading Why Does the South Get Its Own Genre?
