I’m sure you’ve all heard the advice to write what you know. I would also suggest that you write what you’re passionate about. You don’t have to be an expert in order to write on a subject. All you need is a burning desire to know enough about it in order to write a compelling […]
Writing Process
Nanowrimo
It’s National Novel Writing Month again! And as this cartoon shows, “This is hard, ok?” It is difficult to write a novel. The purpose of NaNoWriMo is to give support to anyone who wants to write a novel. This month of November, known as NaNoWriMo, we will challenge ourselves to write 50,000 words toward a […]
Young Adult Dystopian Novels
I’ve caught the bug. First it was The Hunger Games, then Divergent, then The Giver. I am now writing my own, titled VR. It’s the age of the young adult dystopian novels. It all started last December after I’d seen the movie Catching Fire (the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy), a story began […]
Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Most writers need a community, and I am no exception. Although I have completed five novels, Pandora’s Box, The Bohemian Life, Magical Diaries, Servant of the Secret Fire, and A Siren’s Lament, I still find it can be a struggle at times to create the structure and motivation that I need in order to stay […]
Perfectionism
What is blocking you from achieving your goals? If you’re feeling blocked, you may want to ask yourself if it’s perfectionism raising its ugly head. Perfectionism has for much of my life played a destructive role. Something in my head says, “It has to be perfect. The best thing ever created. Better than anything ever […]
Going Back to the Basics
I’ve been going through a very strange time in my life, ever since mid-December. Prior to that time I had been very extroverted and busy, then pulled back, went into retreat and wrote a 254 page novel in less than a month, then crashed, felt depressed, had writers block. After about a week of that […]
A Conversational Tone in Writing
Why did Jack go on the road? Probably ’cause he split up with his wife and desperately needed a distraction. Ever feel that way? Sure ya have. Haven’t we all? The best way to get over a heartache is to go on an adventure. Shake things up. Because the brain wants to go back into […]
Starting a New Novel
This new novel I’m starting would be my seventh novel, not including any that I shred or gave up on long ago. The first novel published was Pandora’s Box, the second, The Bohemian Life. Then I finished two more novels, Magical Diaries and Servant of the Secret Fire. I’m almost finished with my fifth novel, […]
Plotting Your Novel, Memoir, or Screenplay
Mythic structure can be found in almost every myth worldwide from ancient times to modern-day blockbusters, like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Avatar. This structure creates compelling stories and provides organization, giving you an essential tool to complete a novel, memoir, or screenplay. Students will learn about the 12 stages of the hero’s journey and […]
The First Draft: How it all comes together
Let me just say right off the bat, writing a first draft has been described as word vomiting. In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott says every first draft is shitty. This is truly the only way to look at it. Anything else will leave you feeling inadequate. It’ll never be what you first envisioned. That’s […]
