A Writer’s Journey

I love reading blogs. Some might argue that its an obsession of mine. There’s just something fascinating about the myriad stories various writers come up about their lives or shared opinions that draws me in. Not all online journals are worth the time however. Like any writing, a blog must be interesting whether in tone [...]

An idea folder is just that; a folder you maintain on the computer, or a text file you keep adding to, or even a physical notebook or folder you pack full of ideas, titles, characters, plots, and just about anything else related to writing. I even keep a small tape recorder to blither into whenever [...]

I decided to start my own group with the objective of allowing anyone who writes into the group. Some authors might argue that the expanse of differences in genre and skill won’t work, that the diversity is too broad. I disagree. In fact, its the very differences of skill that enables feedback and advice [...]

I’ve encountered a number of writers lately that have me read their work for constructive criticism, with the emphasis on ‘it’s just a rough draft’. I think what they mean is that they want feedback on the content, not so much on punctuation. As a reader though, sifting through poor grammar and fragmented sentences is [...]

Someone once asked me if I had a soundtrack to my life what would it sound like. In all reality, I’d have a laugh track with music being playful and a bit chaotic. Writing stories, however, demands something a bit more complex such as effective mood and daring to goad characters and develop scenes for [...]

As a mother of a homeschooler, I get little in the way of time to actually write without interruption. If not my son, then my husband or even my dog or cat will persist on wanting to know at odd times ‘what are you doing?’. I can shoot out a 300+ word article of crap, [...]

Many writers I know often mention the novel they are in the process of writing. The book is ‘in the works’, with the hopes of someday manifesting into print. Isn’t this what people mean when they say they are a writer? A writer of novels? Writers may ignore other avenues to which they can find [...]

Making an evil character takes a good understanding of how the human mind works. Being evil for the sake of being evil is not realistic, and generally not good reading. A good book, after all, has more to do with the human element and our place in the universe. This leads into [...]

Many current events can inspire ideas for articles such as holidays, personal experience, other articles, personal issues, and even your own crisis in life can spark an interesting topic to publish. This is especially true if you write blogs (online journals) and need topics, or you submit articles to web content sites.
Check the month’s holidays [...]

http://menwithpens.ca/fiction-writing-hurt-your-characters
I was inspired by this topic I discovered today in my travels online. I agree wholeheartedly with inflicting pain and anguish on your story characters. Life is about problems and solutions, of crisis and overcoming obstacles. Pain also offers the best teaching tool, with tempering the character with strength. (both inner and outer)
I also found [...]