The word “said” seems like such an innocuous word. But when you’re writing a book, those “said” uses really start to stick out. Now Novel talks about dialogue tags and mentions that other words for “said” can indicate emotion, tone, and volume. How many times do we see the word “said” in a novel? It varies,Continue reading “He “Said.” But What If He Scowled?”
Tag Archives: aspiring author
Typing Up My Chicken Scratch #WriterProblems
The first draft of my fiction manuscript is done. Yes! But it’s handwritten, across four notebooks, totaling 378 pages. The next step of the process is typing everything up. Panic. And breathe. I had a feeling it was going to be rough, converting this draft from chicken scratch to a lustrous Times New Roman, Word document.Continue reading “Typing Up My Chicken Scratch #WriterProblems”
6 Reasons to Attend Writers Conferences
Last week, I attended the LaJolla Writer’s Conference and had a blast. If you’ve never attended a writer’s conference before, I highly encourage this one—which is known for its small workshop sizes, easy access to authors and agents, and lack of slimy salesmanship. Whether you attend this conference or not, it’s a great experience forContinue reading “6 Reasons to Attend Writers Conferences”
Should I, Can I, Try to Write the Great American Novel?
When I was in my early 20s, I started to tell people that I wanted to be a novelist. Many would respond with something like, “Oh, writing the Great American novel?” Yes, I’d say, naively. I thought it would be awesome to have my name in conversation with the literary greats—Ernest Hemingway, Toni Morrison, etc.,…andContinue reading “Should I, Can I, Try to Write the Great American Novel?”
It’s Just a First Draft, Right?
I know, it’s just a first draft. Just get it out! Just go crazy! Just brain dump! Who cares how many times you just wrote “just?” Or that you used too many exclamation points? Don’t worry about commas or split infinitives or run-on sentences or bad grammar. In some cases, you may not even beContinue reading “It’s Just a First Draft, Right?”
Why Aspiring Authors Are Really MathWriterMaticians
Aspiring Author + Word Count Fixation = MathWriterMetician. I’m coining this term, because we writers are obsessed with numbers and math, whether we want to believe it or not. I find myself crunching numbers almost daily. That’s how I track my WIP. I can’t help myself. One number buzzes around me at all times likeContinue reading “Why Aspiring Authors Are Really MathWriterMaticians”
Writing Tips from Reading Gail Carriger’s Soulless
Years ago, I didn’t read as much as I should have, much to my mother’s chagrin. Of course, that changed over the years. Reading became one of my absolute fave activities. Not only is it a wonderful experience, it provides inspiration and a great teaching tool for me as an aspiring author. A friend recentlyContinue reading “Writing Tips from Reading Gail Carriger’s Soulless”
How I Read Books as an Aspiring Author
I don’t know when I turned a corner and started reading books with my “writer hat” on. You know what I mean: The moment you change from a passive reader to an active one. When you’re no longer escaping when you pick up a book, you’re analyzing. Instead of holding a cup of tea (orContinue reading “How I Read Books as an Aspiring Author”
Why Aspiring Authors Should Start a Blog
A couple of years ago, I attended the amazingly awesome and motivating LaJolla Writer’s Conference. They provided tips of what to do as an aspiring author, like starting a blog. It’s taken me a while to put that into action, but I see why you should start blogging before being published. It gets you writing I’veContinue reading “Why Aspiring Authors Should Start a Blog”
Rene Penn 