Word Play – Unleash Your Inner Writing Child
Think back. Waaaay back, to when you first decided you wanted to write. You sat down, maybe at a computer, maybe with a pen and napkin, or even (in my case) on the back of a motorcycle, and wove a story in your head. Remember how excited you were? Everything seemed possible. You had the…
Read MoreCharacter First
Oh, I know there are those of you who won’t agree with me. You’ll say plot is more important. I’ll make my case with the beginnings of two popular plot-heavy stories. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins “When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s…
Read MoreIdeation: Where Do Ideas Come From?
“Where do you get your ideas?” Every writer has been asked this at least a dozen times. In fact, famous authors have come up with outrageous answers, so they don’t have to go into it. Think I’m kidding? “From the Idea-of-the-Month Club.” – Neil Gaiman “The Idea Book. It’s loaded with excellent plot ideas,” he said.…
Read MoreDare to be Vulnerable in Your Writing
Laura Drake I had no idea what I was going to write about this month. I felt like I’d done it all. Then I read Jenny’s post from Brené Brown (If you haven’t read it, it’s HERE). #7 hit me in the heart. See, I’d forgotten. Vulnerability is my super-power. I went through a pretty…
Read MoreRedundant Writing – and How to Exorcise it
I read a blog the other day that taught me a new writing craft term: Countersinking. This is how Rob Bignell defines it in his article: One way for an author to slow a story is to employ “countersinking,” a term coined by science fiction writer Lewis Shiner. Countersinking involves making explicit the very actions that the…
Read MoreUse Compariwson for Power
Laura Drake Description, run-on words, similes and metaphors are all ways to get your meaning across to your reader. I got the first two, but metaphors and similes….they were a bit fuzzy (school was a looooong time ago for me). Until I watched this scene from Renaissance Man, with Danny DeVito (if you’ve never seen…
Read MoreFirst Page Critique
Thank you, brave soul, for trusting me with your work. I hope you find this helpful. I chose this month’s submission to help explain a closer POV. This reads like a movie script. It is omniscient POV (mostly), which was great in the 1800’s, but today’s reader wants an immersive experience…they want to BE Katniss.…
Read MoreWhy Learning Writing Takes So Long
I traveled to speak at a writer’s group last weekend (I do that, you know. Contact me if you’re interested). I was talking to a writer there, and she bemoaned the fact that she didn’t have this down yet. She was still making mistakes. I’ve heard this many times. I’ll bet you’ve said it…
Read MoreA Writer’s Resolution Anyone Can Keep
If you follow me on Facebook you know I’m the Queen of Pinterest (and if you don’t, why not? Beauty pics, cat memes, inspirational quotes, odd Victorian photos — COFFEE! It’s a sea of happy in a chaotic world. LauraDrakeAuthor). When I saw this the other day, the photo caught my eye first. Then the message slammed…
Read MoreNotes to My Unpublished Self
I sold 5 years ago. So much has happened, it seems like fifteen. With 9 books out in the world, the tenth almost complete, I decided to look back, to what it would have helped me to know, when I was on that scary road to publication. I hope it helps those still on that…
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