Distracted?

Between blogs, email, Facebook, etc. I find myself jumping around too much. I need a way to concentrate on my writing better.
So, this week, I’m trying Q10. It is a text editor that fills the screen with no tool bars, no access to other programs unless you save and exit, and a built-in timer.

Success: What Price Does Your Character Pay?

I’m getting much closer to actually starting my new novel, but I’m still asking myself a crucial question.
What is the cost of success for the main character?
Loss of innocence. If you write a bildungsroman novel, that genre which take a main character from

Crowded with Characters? Create Mini-Conflicts

Mini-Conflicts Help Characters Stand Out
For my WIP, I’m spending the week fleshing out characters.
I”ve written about characters many times.
Here’s a Character Checklist, and 15 Days to a Stronger Character, and many other posts on character.
At this stage in character development, I’m mostly concerned with creating an interesting mix. For this story, there’s a [...]

Can you say that in a novel?

Are there untouchable topics in literature? No, of course, not. But there are topics that are difficult to do well, or it feels like you are preaching.
You know the ones: alcoholism, abortion, medical ethics, underage drinking, etc. These are hard to put into a story or novel and have it work.
Dealing with Flash point, Difficult [...]

Life to Fiction: 4 Problems

The problem of writing from real life events
I’m still looking for a new story, so I’ve been mining events in my life, just writing. For example, my son had to take a Parenting class in 9th grade and there were at least three hysterical stories from that class, including one egg-baby named Adolf. When I [...]

Combine 2 Plots?

What to Write Next?
I’ve just wrapped up a few novel project, or else they are cooling down. It’s time to swim around and hope that I find some interesting bait and get hooked on the next novel. In fact, I’m eyeing two bits of bait right now and trying to decide if either will do. [...]

Character Checklist

Character Checklist

EXTERNALS
Name or Nickname: Does the character’s name evoke something about him or her? Does it resonate in the story?
Character Roles and Jobs. Have you fully explored the possibilities of family and community roles? Are they working at cliche jobs or fascinating jobs?

Genres

What Genre Should you Write?
I was talking to a friend about a new novel he’s working on. He’s not sure what genre it falls under and what genre he should aim for. Of course, there are two answers to this:
Just write. One way of looking at it is that he just needs to write [...]

2 Types of Feedback

Feedback on Story or Best Way to Tell Story?
I’ve always considered the first draft of a novel as a time to get the story down on paper. The second draft is a time to consider the best way to tell that story.
So, when I’m looking at feedback from a reader, a critique of a draft, [...]

5 Reactions to Novel Feedback

Yep. You gotta get feedback on your novel and you gotta act on it. On everything? Yep. But what if. . .
Yes! Oh! No? Uh-oh! Huh?
Okay. Here are five reactions I’ve had to recent feedback: Yes! Oh! No? Uh-oh! Huh?

Yes! It’s great when