The NanoWriMo Home Stretch

Man! I cannot believe I did it. I am only 2K away from finishing NanoWriMo. I hope to get those 2,000 words written by turkey day and then the real work begins. As you have heard me say before, the first draft is NEVER the finished product. Once I put those last words into Scrivener,…

Meeting Your Book Halfway

Meeting your book halfway can mean a lot of things, but in this post it means reassessing where you are after you've gotten this far. I just surpassed 26K in my nanowrimo challenge and I'm feeling pretty good about my progress and how the book is shaping up. With 24K left to go, I am…

And They’re Off!

NanoWriMo is finally here and we are off to a great start! I have a close friend taking this journey with me and I am so excited to see how his book progresses. On this very first day I discovered something that I actually expected: my Shot Sheet got altered. What does that mean? It…

Pre-Nano Jitters

Yes, I am having them. I actually shared a few pages of the book I intend to create next month with an agent and she liked it! No pressure, right? But as you know, I have a plan and I intend to carry it out. The thing is, November's end will only yield a first…

My New Podcast ‘Write After Work’

I have some news today. I have created a podcast to coincide with this blog and I call it Write After Work. This podcast is for those of you who prefer to listen than to read (shudder the thought!). But I understand that sometimes we do not have time to read or we are in…

Shot Sheeting Your WIP

You might be wondering what I mean by shot sheeting. Well, I will tell you. Back in the day, when I was a TV reporter, we worked with the videographer to cover news events and, once we got back to the station (as in TV station), he'd hand me the tape (3/4 back then) and…

Talking to Your Characters

I don't know about you, but I always make it a habit to talk to my characters prior to embarking on our story journey. Most of us never travel with people we don't know - or don't like for that matter - so I always find it helpful to take the time to get to…

Writing YA but Not a Teen? No Problem!

I suppose that you, like me, write in a genre not of your own age group. If you write MG or YA, nine times out of ten you cannot claim that generation. No problem! I am going to tell you how to get the inside info you need to ensure your book fits with the…

Write to Be Seen

I am sure you know what I am getting at when I say this - yes, it's the old show-don't-tell mantra. But even though I and no doubt you, have heard this a gazillion times, lately I have developed a keener sense for what it actually means. Here is my simple example: you walk into…

Prep for NanoWriMo NOW

Yes, I know September just got here. Yes, I know that NanoWriMo is two months away. And yes, I get that you are a pantser. But if you really want to be ready to hit the ground sprinting, you need to plan NOW. So, what I am about to share with you is my simple…