Looking for a gift for a writer friend, or perhaps, one for yourself? Here are five books I have found helpful in my writing this year. Fiction Blurbs: The Best Way Forward Way by Phoebe J. Ravencraft If you hate … Continue reading 5 Writing Craft Books You Shouldn’t Miss
For the longest time, I have been pondering how to embed a theme in a novel. Isn’t it enough to have a premise, to have plenty of action and to develop each character’s arc? But while preparing the final revision … Continue reading Finding Your Novel’s Theme
In character-based plotting, two or more characters with opposing goals and mindsets are set loose in a setting and must find their way to a satisfying conclusion.
Continue reading Brainstorming a Plot through Character Interviews
GMC or Goal, Motivation, and Conflict provide a framework for brainstorming a strong plotlines and character arcs. Continue reading Brainstorming Your Plot Using GMC
If you are a writer, you love words. I know that I do. Word Storms are a writer’s way to play. They stir up creativity. They help you work through problems. They help you write your story. Continue reading Using Word Storms to Plan Your Novel
Inspiration for a story can come from the luck of the draw. Get a free set of Brainstorming Cards and learn how to use them. Continue reading Brainstorm Your Novel Using Brainstorming Cards
Storyboards are a quick, fluid way to plan a novel. It is a way to see how your story events flow together, how they match up with the plotting template you choose to use, and where there are plot holes. Continue reading Storyboard Your Novel
Are you a visual person? Do you hate outlining? Then mind mapping is for you. It is also a powerful tool for any writer.
A mind map is a visual representation of connected ideas. This makes it perfect for playing with different elements of a story. Continue reading Mind Mapping Your Story Ideas
All the motivation and energy in the world will not produce a finished novel. We first need ideas. Focused brainstorming is one way to inspire them. Continue reading How to Brainstorm Your Novel into Existence
Both fine art and writing require creativity and hard work. They also require an understanding of structure and principles. Surprisingly, the same principles used by an artist can inspire excellent writing as well. Continue reading What Can a Writer Learn from the Principles of Art and Design?
~ Plot Your Scene with the W-Plot Method ~ The W-Plot can be used to lay out an entire novel, but it’s true strength is in plotting scenes. I am doing NaNoWr again this year. I love being part of … Continue reading W-Plot Your Way to a Better Scene
~The Path of True Love ~ I truly believe that the best way to learn to be a writer is to be a voracious reader. That said, how-to-writing books definitely have a place in honing one’s skills. I have read … Continue reading Plotting a Romance: What Works for Me
My first novel, written as a respite from working on my dissertation, took me five years to write. My second novel took seven years to write. My third novel took one month. What made the difference? Fast drafting. Fast drafting … Continue reading Fast Drafting My Way to The End or What I Learned from NaNoWri
Ready. Set. Go. Got my plot. Got my characters. Got my GMC outline. Got my alarm set. Everything appears ready for me to dive in and write my first 2000 words (Technically you need to write 1533 a day, but I aim for 2000 words a day – that way I get ahead a bit for the days I can’t write for some reason or other.) Problem is I also have a dentist appointment, a sister visiting from Scotland, the last broccoli and chard to harvest from the garden, and pizza night with the whole family. Not to mention constant … Continue reading NaNoWri starts Tomorrow and I Can’t Wait.
NaNoWri or National Novel Writing Month starts on Tuesday. This will be my third year participating. I don’t know why, but somehow tracking words and trying to attain the 50,000 word challenge in 30 days just gets my blood flowing and the creative juices oozing. So I am getting set for the race to the finish. NOTE: If you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is here’s a brief overview. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. A small group of friends in California got together and challenged each other to write a book in a month and an idea was born. … Continue reading Why NaNoWri fires me up to write faster
Now I read a lot of romantic suspense novels. I love them. Why else would I write them? I like the fact that there is mystery … Continue reading Beneath the Skin is different
Lisa Gardner in the “Seven Secrets of Romantic Suspense” lists the following elements that all romantic suspense novels need to be successful: A tense, dangerous setting Complex heroes, heroines, and most importantly, villains, who have goals they must accomplish and … Continue reading What Makes a Romantic Suspense Suspenseful?
The book cover for Beneath the Skin is here! Back Cover Blurb Ex-Olympic wrestler and reclusive billionaire artist Aristides Stavros has one mission—to rescue his sister, a popular tattoo artist from the old enemy who has kidnapped her. But at … Continue reading Beneath the Skin Book Cover Just Released
ZARA WEST'S JOURNAL 