Regency romance, romantic mysteries, & writing tips too.
If you’re writing fiction and haven’t published your novel, it’s likely that you’re intimidated by your first draft. Relax. The story on the page may disappoint you, but consider that this is your chance to transform the mass of material into the ideal novel you’ve imagined. Revising and editing will change your muddle into a … Read more
When you’re writing fiction it’s often suggested that you write your first draft straight through without editing. Is this good advice? We’ve discussed this at writers’ group meetings, and I was reminded of those discussions today because I’m rewriting parts of a first draft and hoping that I don’t mess it up. A book journal … Read more
Do you struggle with writing fiction? In a writers’ group meeting, we chatted about a common struggle: managing your ideas, without being distracted by them. One writer said that she struggled with organizing sudden inspiration. Another said that his big challenge was developing ideas. He constantly second-guessed himself, deleting one or more scenes—he’d even delete … Read more
When you’re writing fiction, starting a new novel and setting up your cast of characters can be challenging. However, if you meet that challenge, not only will your novel be fun to write, it will also (other things being equal) sell. A few months ago, we spent a writers’ group meeting chatting about character creation. … Read more
Have you discovered the power of a book journal? A few months ago, we devoted a writer’s group meeting to journaling. Although many authors favored bullet journals, others used an all-purpose writing journal, and a couple of authors favored project-specific journals: when they started a book, they created a journal for it. Your book journal: … Read more
If you’re writing fiction, you may be procrastinating on finishing your novel. Many authors do. Worst case: you may forget the novel completely. In a recent writers’ group meeting, we shared estimates of how many unfinished novels lurked on our hard drives, so you’ve got a few unfinished novels too, stop feeling guilty. With a … Read more