I abduct the aliens.
Now updated for 2017 & 2018! Scroll to the bottom of the post to download. I love spreadsheets. They're the best and easiest way for me to keep my writing projects organized, keep track of my process and progress, and even edit the manuscript! I've talked plenty about my novel outlining process on this blog, and how it's …
Continue reading "Organize your writing with spreadsheets + FREE TEMPLATE!"
There are essentially two ways in which you can draft a longer work of fiction: You can draft it linearly, in the same way a reader would read it, writing chapters in their logical order. Or you can draft it out of sequence, jumping forward and back, to: write all chapters related to a specific sub-plot in …
Continue reading "Writing out of sequence – The best way to write"
Over the past couple of months I've been neck deep in planning, drafting and editing book #2 in my Ascendancy Trilogy, and I've learned a great deal about writing productivity. And quite a bit about how perfectionism plays into—or rather against it. It's no secret I have an issue with perfectionist thinking, as it's one of the …
Continue reading "The Power of MOMENTUM, and the Triple C Of Productivity"
All good stories must have a plot -- a sequence of events that is logical, inevitable, and relentlessly propells the story (and reader) forward. Mostly, the plot is external action. But sometimes—and literary writers will nod vigurously here—the plot is internal, and barely accompanied by grand outward action. Instead, it's made of incremental revelations, decisions, and reflections, all …
Continue reading "THE EGGSHELL HERO – How to build a story upon a dramatic character arc"
Last time I shared my novel planning process with you, and promised I would look into the idea exploration part as well. We all have different ways to brainstorm and develop our creative ideas, and we use different tools to help us track our thinking (from Moleskin notebooks and napkins, to mind-mapping software and spreadsheets). But at the core of …
Continue reading "How to brainstorm your story idea into a working concept"
Last week I put up two polls to find out what your best and worst habits as writers are, and which attitudes you'd like to change. Thank you all very much for taking the time to vote and comment, it was very informative! As I promised, today we'll discuss the results. I must say I was …
The most important thing before attempting a revision, is figuring out what exactly we're revising. So the top question to ask when we pick up any considerable chunk of text should be -- is this a scene, or a sequel? The difference between the two isn't always obvious. Scenes are often mixed with elements …
