I read around 200 books a year. I read for research, especially if I’m working on a project for a client. I read many books for pleasure, and many books to learn what’s working the market this year. Most of the time, those categories overlap. I read each book thoroughly, but quickly. I need to… Read more »
Big Ideas
Things I Learned from Running that Help Me as a Writer
I’ve been a writer for a long time. I have bags of old journals and bins of old stories. I’ve also been a runner for a long time. I’ve learned a lot from both that help me with both passions. Here are some things I’ve learned. There’s always someone faster. This is true about running,… Read more »
Gifts for Writers
It’s the time of year for gift giving. And it’s not always easy to find great gifts for writers. How do you wrap up a publishing contract? So I’ve gathered up twelve wonderful pieces of writing advice that I’ve gathered in notebooks over the years. Hopefully these carry you through the next year of writing…. Read more »
Milestones Matter
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That’s what I wanted for my writing career: a nice, straight short line from typing my opening lines to holding my published (and well-reviewed) book in my hands. I should have known it wouldn’t happen like that. I already know that the most interesting stories… Read more »
Three Ways Reading Picture Books Helps Me Write Better Novels
I love reading picture books. Yep, I’m turning 49 this year and I read almost 200 picture books every year!! I teach a graduate writing class about picture books and an after school club on writing picture books. But I also read them for pure enjoyment because I love picture books. I write picture books,… Read more »
The Three O’s You Need in Every Scene
Writing a gOOOd bOOOk How do you write a book? Word by word, sentence by sentence, and SCENE BY SCENE. Strong scenes show readers what they need to know about your main character: their secrets, their struggles, and their successes. There are three O’s you need in every scene you’re writing. I wish I could… Read more »
Three Things From Movies that Make Books Fun
Summer blockbusters are all about fun. So while you’re at movie nights in the park, pay attention to these three things from movies that you can add to your book and make it lots of fun! Mini Quests! We rewatched the first Percy Jackson movie after the new streaming series came out. I realized that… Read more »
The Parenting Olympics
The Olympics start July 26 in Paris and I’m so excited! I love the Olympics. I love watching dreams come true, and sympathize with the heartache. The personal stories pull me in, and I am captivated by the way people around the world work toward a common finish line, a new height, a faster time,… Read more »
Three Movies that Are Great at Dropping Clues about Characters
3 (Three) 3 Are you working foreshadowing into your story? OK, good, but are you doing it in a clever way? Consider this example I just read online. “Foreshadowing is a warning of a future event through context clues in storytelling. In a movie like Jurassic Park, the foreshadowing is subtle. When the helicopter is… Read more »
Three Things I Used to do as a Beginning Writer (But Now I Don’t)
Welcome to the next part of the Three Things series! Want to catch up on some other Three Things? Three Things I Ask My Critique Partners Three Things I Give My Critique Partners I’ve been a writer for a long time – all the way back to when I started a literary journal in… Read more »