The Difference Between Romance & Women’s Fiction

I’ve been thinking about this lately, because I’ve written a women’s fiction that is in with an editor now (cross your fingers for me!). I’m very familiar with the subject, because I helped to found the Women’s Fiction Writers Assn. I’ve also published 11 romances. My first book, The Sweet Spot, I wrote as Women’s…

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Building a Writing Routine

rou·tine  /ro͞oˈtēn/ performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special reason. Note, I didn’t use the term, ‘habit’.  A habit is an impulse to do a behavior with little or no conscious thought. Not doing a habit feels uncomfortable, like not washing your hands after using the toilet or not flossing…

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First Page Critique

  I’m currently teaching my First Five Pages class at Lawson Writer’s Academy (psst – you can still sign up!) I love helping writers strengthen their all-important openings. Joe Zarek is one of my past students, and has agreed to allow me to share his ‘before and after’ first page. Kudos to him for working so…

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Getting Busy – Remember How?

Okay, this is a weird post for me. Anyone who knows me will tell you – I am an organized person. I plan. I schedule. I get more out of a day than anyone. That used to be true. But then the pandemic hit. Our lives slowed. Shrunk. Plans went in the crapper. And now…

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