Writing Resources Category
Creating Suspense––Part I
Posted on September 21, 2016 1 Comment
I’m not a suspense writer, but I love to read it. A few years ago, I wrote Zorro stories on FanFiction, and I learned a little bit about creating suspense, just by doing it. In this new series, we’ll talk about what suspense is, and how to use it for whatever genre you write. Suspense […]
Plunging the Depths of Deep POV –– Part VIII
Posted on September 14, 2016 Leave a Comment
We’ll finish this today. Hopefully, this series, though not scouring for every little detail of Deep POV, will give you tools to improve your skill at making your POV characters come alive. Click to Tweet #amwriting #DeepPOV
Creating Extraordinary Characters –– Part VIII
Posted on July 20, 2016 Leave a Comment
We’ve been looking at different tools to help build character natures, dispositions, and temperament. Another is Conflict. Using conflict within your characters will create extraordinary situations, responses, and ultimately, characters. Click to Tweet #amwriting #characters In his book, Fiction Writing Demystified, Tom Sawyer (yes, that’s his real name), says that using and focusing on conflict […]
Creating Extraordinary Characters –– Part III
Posted on June 15, 2016 Leave a Comment
Characters with personality make your readers identify and care about them. There are several ways to determine what your character will be like. Are they introvert or extrovert? Dominant or stable? Sanguine or Phlegmatic? Myers-Briggs, DISC, and Personality Plus are tools writers can use to create characters. Click to Tweet #amwriting #characters
What Does an Agent Look for in an Author?
Posted on April 13, 2016 Leave a Comment
The publishing industry is changing rapidly. It’s sometimes hard to keep up. What used to be acceptable a few years ago, is no longer. Publishers and agents look for several things when considering an unpublished author. Click to Tweet Let’s look at what an agent looks for in an author. #amwriting #literaryagents
Seamless Self–Editing––Part VIII
Posted on April 6, 2016 Leave a Comment
As this series draws to a close, I’ll give you a couple practical exercises you can do at home to learn and practice your own seamless self-editing. Cutting word usage in half, and a proofreading exercise will assist you in learning more about how to edit your own manuscript. Because our object is to become […]
Seamless Self-Editing––Part VII
Posted on March 30, 2016 Leave a Comment
This week, we’re continuing our look at self-editing with tips from Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Browne and King. We’re going to look at Proportion and Dialogue Mechanics, two chapters from this resource. Because our space is limited, I’ll only summarize a few points from each chapter. Editing our work ourselves will improve our chances […]
Seamless Self-Editing––Part VI
Posted on March 23, 2016 Leave a Comment
For the next couple weeks, I’ll be referring back to a resource I used a year or so ago, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. A few months ago, I met Robert Whitlow, a successful suspense author, who said this book taught him how to write. He was a prosperous attorney in the South, as well. Some […]
Seamless Self-Editing––Part V
Posted on March 16, 2016 1 Comment
Writers write because we love to use words, but let’s face it––even though we say we write for ourselves, we all want to be published and have many others read what we’ve written, for the mutual benefit of ourselves and our readers. That’s why self-editing is important. We must do everything we can to get […]
Seamless Self-Editing––Part IV
Posted on March 9, 2016 Leave a Comment
Getting published traditionally is difficult. Publishers look for ways to disqualify submissions. Small publishers are more likely to accept a manuscript from a previously unpublished author, yet they are the ones who require “publish-ready” submissions. Possibly because their small staff doesn’t have time to edit a novel––or they only accept from the best of the […]
Donna L.H. Smith 