As my daughter Kate and I drove home from our shopping trip today, we were trying desperately to keep her twins, Peanut and Punkin, from falling asleep in the car and thus spoiling their naps. We went through the animal sounds until even Punkin got tired of mooing and hoo-hooing and singing the alphabet. Her protests were getting increasingly energetic. I started to sing one of their favorite songs from a book in their toy box at our house. “Itsy Bitsy Spider.” They listened and asked me to sing it again, and again, and again. The third time through (or Read More
Tag: writing craft
How the Opening Scene Can Make or Break a Book
Have you ever read a book that grabbed you from the first sentence and never let go until “The End?” Have you ever been so captured by the opening scene that you reread it? Those are books with good hooks. I’ve often read that an editor will decide whether or not to acquire book based on the first page. Some say the first five pages; some say the first five paragraphs. The point is, the opening scene can make or break a book’s snagging that longed-for contract. The same buy-in is true for readers, although I believe most readers give Read More
Writing Lessons Learned from a Virus and a Puzzle
I’ve just recovered from a recent virus that laid me flat for over two weeks. In addition to a wicked sore throat, unstoppable cough, and absolutely no energy, I walked around in a brain fog. When I felt well enough to be vertical, I did jigsaw puzzles in spurts throughout the day. This is what this virus and my jigsaw puzzles taught me about writing. Sometimes Pieces Just Come Along and Fit I finished three puzzles in the course of the two weeks. The first one went together in my usual process: complete as much of the outside frame as Read More
My Secret Strategies for Handling Edits
Okay, this post is going to be really short because I’m on deadline and my revisions are due back to my editor Julie Sturgeon by Saturday. Many readers ask me how I handle editing and revising my manuscripts. I have decided to reveal a few of my deepest secrets. Some of my editing strategies for The Last Crossing: 1. Set the timer on my iPhone for 30 minutes so I get up and move around. It’s good for my health and clears my mind. Plus, potty break. (amended: Pay attention when the timer goes off.) 2. Set my iPhone Read More
3 Inspirations that Did Not Lead to a Sparkly Vampire
Don’t you wonder how Stephenie Meyer came up with the idea of a sparkly vampire? How did Diana Gabaldon decide on a portal in a standing stone that whisked Claire off to a Highlander hunk named Jamie? And Hobbits? Really? Where do authors get their ideas? Well, I can only speak to what’s worked for me with Love’s Courage: a word, a photo, and a visit. A Word Rich and I are word nerds. Okay, I’m a word nerd and Rich indulges me. Every morning at breakfast, we look up Merriam Webster’s Word of the Day. On Feb. 26, 2016, Read More