Posts Tagged ‘Laura Drake’
A 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Read MoreNotes to My Unpublished Self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…
Read MoreBoring Scene? Here’s a Fix
I’ll admit it. I can write a scene that only a mother can love. One so sappy you’ll need to test your blood for sugar afterward. A sure cure for insomnia. (as boring as all these old saws). And when the author knows it sucks, you can imagine the sheer volume of suckage I’m talking…
Read MoreSelf-Belief is Hard – How To Do it Anyway
Y’all know that I’m the Golden Retriever of the writing world. The grandma cheerleader in a skirt that won’t zip (no photo, because no one wants to see that. Trust me). But I had an epiphany today. I wanted to share, in case it helps you, too. It was one of those golden days. You…
Read MoreDescriptions – The Angels are in the Details!
Descriptions are some of my favorite things to do. But they’re not easy to write well. Descriptions have changed over the years. Stienbeck’s The Gapes of Wrath was published in 1939. Here’s the beginning: Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Steinbeck fan, but that was before TV, Netflix, apps, and Xbox. Back when readers had…
Read MoreHow to Write a Great Last Line
Don’t you just love it when a line in a book so good, that you just have to stop reading to appreciate it for a few minutes? Me too. I think that’s part of the reason I began writing – to, just once – write one of those sentences. You can find them scattered throughout…
Read MoreAdvanced Craft Tips
I do a lot of critiquing. As I get better at craft, I’m starting to catch the nuances of good writing; things beyond the basics of POV, show don’t tell, etc. They’re subtler and harder to spot, but I believe they can be the difference between a ‘good writer’ and a popular author. And yes,…
Read MoreNail That First Line!
I just taught a class on Beginning Pages recently, so I’ve been thinking a lot about first lines. Stephen King had something to say about the magnitude of a novel’s first line: “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story,” he said. “It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about…
Read MoreMotifs and Symbols and Themes – Oh My!
I love almost all literary devices, but the three in this post’s title are my favorites. I’m sure you heard of them, and have probably used them in your writing, but you may not know the definitions, so here they are: Motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition,…
Read MoreDon’t Give Away Your Power
I’ve been in a bad place lately. And admitting that in public is a big deal for me. See, I’m the equivalent of a golden retriever named Pollyanna. My glass is way full. Except lately. 417 rejections before I finally sold earned me a pretty tough skin. So how could I find myself here –…
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