Starting to write a novel is super exciting but also kind of scary, partly because writers, in general, go it alone – at least while they’re pounding away on their keyboards. While there are many stories of authors who stow away in cabins or hotel rooms and bang out their books, it’s not an overstatement […]
The 5 Steps of Editing: A Guide for Aspiring Novelists Read More »
Have you ever written something, read it back, and experienced a delightful blend of pride and fulfillment? Only to have someone else read it and immediately notice a dozen obvious errors that somehow eluded your eagle eyes. Editing our own work can sometimes feel like trying to tickle ourselves—it just doesn’t work. It’s not because
The Edit Struggle: Why We Can’t See Our Own Typos Read More »
If you don’t already know, I’m a yoga geek. Back in 2004 I joined my local YMCA and found a Saturday 7:30AM class that became my regular thing. Now, 20 years later, I alternate days practicing yoga and Pilates as my exercises of choice. That and walking the dog nightly. So why am I telling
The Zen of Writing: What Yoga and Writing Have in Common Read More »
An overused archetype is the real villain of your story. Have you ever read a thriller where the main character has all the right stuff? Having flawless intuition, impeccable deductive skills, and always being ahead of the killer? I recently took part in a critique group where I read this exact protagonist. She was a
Create Characters with Flaws, not Flawsomeness Read More »
Thirty-three years ago today, I was lucky to find a job as a civil engineer on the Boston Central Artery/Tunnel project (commonly known as the Big Dig). I say lucky because of the sluggish economy, following the crash of the stock market in 1987, marked the end of the decade. Sluggish is probably a mild
The Importance of Training – A Personal Story Read More »
Life is full of challenges. Learning to walk and talk takes about a year before the pieces start falling into place. Graduating from grade school takes 12 years. Raising children takes 18 or more. These are big, everyday challenges that we quite take for granted. Expected on some level. We accept them as given. But
Embracing Personal Challenges Read More »
Since beginning my writing journey, I’ve read tons of books on how to write stories. Some of them were for writing screenplays, others for novels, and still others on specifics like dialogue, point of view, emotion, character, etc. You get the picture, there’s a lot written about writing. Among the fifty or so books I
Improve Your Writing Craft Today with These 5 Books Read More »
A strong backstory will provide context for everything that happens in your story. Your protagonist existed long before your story starts. Their life, like all of us, had some ups and downs. These ups and downs created who they are today. And now, at the start of your story, their learned behavior will dictate how
Having Trouble Starting Your Story – Backstory is the Answer Read More »
Usually when we think of coaching, we think of sports. A team coach. A hitting coach. A defensive lineman coach. But many business leaders have coaches too. In fact, multiple articles are found online about people who use coaches including Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Barack Obama, among many others. In a 2013 TED talk,
Everyone Needs a Coach – Including Writers Read More »
“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh If you ask someone to describe a confident person, what might they say? The woman who is talking to a group of people and laughing brashly. The one who just delivered
