Well, squiders, I’m still working at reading back through the latest draft of Book One (we were out of town over the weekend, so I didn’t get much working time). The beginning is worse than I remember. Or, well, not
Common Writing Mistakes: Starting in the Wrong Place
Trucking right along, squiders. (As an aside, Pinterest now allows you to create sub-boards, so I spent a lot of yesterday organizing my most problematic board, unhelpfully called “Your Pinterest Likes” and left over from when you could like pins.
Poll Results, Project Switching, and Musical Aftermath
Okay, so judging from the poll last week, the next nonfiction topic we’ll focus on is writing consistently–why you should do it, strategies for doing it, and how not to beat yourself up about it if life has other plans.
Beginning Problems: The Mirror
Another common issue found in the beginning of a lot of early drafts and first novels is the mirror. Generally, this is combined with the dream sequence, where the main character wakes up from their dream, stumbles into the bathroom
Beginning Problems: The Dream Sequence
Beginnings are an interesting beast, and what I find fascinating is that so many writers start their first stories the same way, like there’s some instinctual drive to do so. Like we were all taught to do so, even though
Working Past the Beginning
So I’m finally getting to work on my chainsaw edit, but, like all my stories, I started in the wrong place and have to write a new beginning. (I know, I know, I’m so backwards. Most people start too early,
Nanowrimo: Week One Tips
Well, friends, November is upon us. All that planning you did (or didn’t) do during October, all the excitement and the anticipation…and now it’s time to go. Don’t get bogged down in the beginning. We’ve talked about beginnings here in
Beginnings
Starting yet another novel for Nano this year has reminded me how very much I hate beginnings. Somewhere out there, I have no doubt, is an author whose first lines are always poignant and gripping on the first try, whose