Salutations padawan! Today I’m going to talk at you about the writing tools of my trade. If you remember this gem of a post, I let the bomb drop that I’m not the best with grammar/punctuation. It’s true. I place commas where they don’t go, and usually miss a conjunction before said comma. And don’t even get me started on semicolons and em dashes, those are as foreign to me as Ancient Greek or math. #truth Since we’re on the truth train today, I learned…
Prepare to be shocked: at fourteen I was a weird loser, #truth. Some might be hesitant to describe themselves as such, but I’m fully aware I was a weird loser; or at least, that’s how others perceived me, and I lacked the self-esteem to reject that label (a post for another day). Besides having an awkward blend of depression and anxiety, I really didn’t fit in anywhere. I wasn’t popular, or goth. I wasn’t a nerd or a jock. I didn’t…
The age-old struggle of writers all over the world. Can you imagine Tolstoy, Tolkien, or Sanderson smashing their head over and over on the keyboard? I can’t. Because…queue dramatic music…I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in being creatively drained, sick and tired of a specific story or character. I believe in being unable to think coherently due to lack of rest, stress, or crappy eating habits. I believe in being depressed or anxious. But do I believe…
If you’ve read my In The Beginning post, then you’ve seen the first paragraph of my first attempt at writing a book. That beast is bad, bordering on atrocious :/ Did you spot the inconsistencies? There are several, in just one paragraph. And the grammar (and the punctuation, or lack thereof), also left much to be desired. I mean, if that’s not atrocious I don’t know what is. To be fair though, as I was writing that first story I wasn’t thinking…
Padawan, now, if you’re a part of the writing scene on Twitter, I’m sure you’ve seen the controversial tweet from an editor about ways a “broke” writer can get their book professionally edited. My feed has been swamped with with folks on both side of the issue. Here’s the tweet that started it all: Ways “broke” writers can get their book professionally edited: 1. Ask someone wealthy who believes in you and your book to invest in you 2. Get…
Greetings, padawan! I love names, and when I say love, I mean LOVE. A mushy, swooning, gooey love. My obsession probably borders on the insane, but it’s useful. Because of this obsession I’ve got probably two hundred names of all sorts tucked away in my back pocket for use in future stories. My list includes modern names like Amare, Cosmo, and Britta. There are unusual names like Rune, Venetor, and Orsa. I’ve even got different spellings like Lyn, Dove, and…
Let’s start out with a story… A young girl always liked stories, and would tell fantastic tales of escapes from museums and babysitters. That girl grew up, but she still lived in stories. She would sit at her computer, turn on some music, and start typing. Great tales about horses, princes, running away, and fancy bedrooms. However, there was another side to this story, for the girl was ashamed of her writing. For some reason, whenever a knock came at…