Last week, I blogged part one of this topic. Please check it out, if you haven’t already, because the list below piggybacks on part one. Here are four more things I work on when I start writing a novel. 1. “Stuff That Can Go Wrong” list I created this concept after banging my head overContinue reading “4 Things I Work On When I Start a Novel, Part 2”
Tag Archives: WIP
Tabloids, Grocery Drama, and Fiction
A tabloid made me take my eye off the ball. I was standing in a long line at the grocery store, six back from the register. At least ten more shoppers were behind me. And no other checkout lane was better. A “major” storm was coming to D.C.-metro land. Weather folks had predicted a walloping.Continue reading “Tabloids, Grocery Drama, and Fiction”
IDK, Am I Hip? Part Two
Last week, I wrote about #WriterAcronyms, and how important it is to understand them if you’re a writer using social media. I also joked about the word “hip”. The concept deserved its own post. So here we are… “Hip” Awareness and Lack Thereof Per Dictionary. com, one of the definitions for hip is: “familiar with orContinue reading “IDK, Am I Hip? Part Two”
IDK, Am I Hip? #WriterAcronyms
A long-time friend sent a group text announcing what “IDK” means. Her pre-teen had filled her in on the acronym. IDK stands for I don’t know, she wrote. She was passing on the knowledge to us forty-somethings to keep us “hip.” The “hip” comment was the icing on the cake. I must proudly say thatContinue reading “IDK, Am I Hip? #WriterAcronyms”
9 Things I’m Still Learning from the “Big Read” Experience
I’ve done it again—I finished a draft of my WIP (work-in-progress), printed it out, and did the Big Read. I noticed the following similarities and differences from the time I reached this point with a previous manuscript. It’s still like to see the book printed on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper. It feels more realContinue reading “9 Things I’m Still Learning from the “Big Read” Experience”
Clawing to The End of a WIP
I’ve been clawing my way to the end of a manuscript. I think this first draft is pretty decent, given how first drafts can be. It just feels like I clawed my way through at the end. Am I the only one who’s felt that way? Getting to the end is so different from the otherContinue reading “Clawing to The End of a WIP”
Submitting to Contests
For the first time in years, I decided to submit some of my writing to a small contest. It has a short submission requirement: Seeking no more than 1,500 words of a scene’s best banter. That seemed very doable to me, like a good way to get my stuff out there. Because that’s the ultimate goal, isn’tContinue reading “Submitting to Contests”
10 Reasons I May Write a Novella Instead of a Novel
Don’t know whether to write a novel or novella? Me neither. And I’m still not sure where this train is headed. I’ve been diligently working on a novel for the last six months, and it’s been tough. No surprise there—that’s part of the writing journey. But while digging up writing tips, I stumbled upon variousContinue reading “10 Reasons I May Write a Novella Instead of a Novel”
Revising the First Draft—My Story
I read online about Revising the First Draft. Those online people make it seem really straight-forward. They must know what they’re talking about. They’ve got books published and writerly looking profile pics. I follow their advice. I decide to print out my draft, rather than edit it on the computer. That’s going to be a lot ofContinue reading “Revising the First Draft—My Story”
Bird by Bird, Word by Word
The phrase “bird by bird” has been running through my mind a lot lately. If you recall—or if you don’t, or if you’re unaware—the phrase came to be 50-something years ago while a boy was overwhelmed with the task of writing a report about birds. The boy was author Anne Lamott’s younger brother. “We wereContinue reading “Bird by Bird, Word by Word”
Rene Penn 