Tag Archives: novel

How much is enough? (Encore)

Writers can be very competitive folk, especially when it comes to the topic of production. Like people in any other profession, some writers exaggerate while others are painfully honest. I know several who claim to churn out amazing quantities of … Continue reading

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Writing a novel is like… (Encore)

…eating an elephant. You have to do it one bite at a time. No one seems to care how the elephant feels about this. The point, obviously, is that writing a novel is a big job, and you won’t finish … Continue reading

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Ya gotta have heart (Encore)

Though clichéd, it’s true that the building blocks of a good novel are the scenes. I imagine if one looked hard enough it would be possible to find a novel with neither scene nor chapter breaks, but it would definitely … Continue reading

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Where Should A Story Start? (Encore)

A story starts at the beginning, right? <cue uproarious laughter> Well, yeah, it should. The problem is, most neophyte novelists think they have to supply a dump truck load of information about their character and his or her situation before … Continue reading

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A Tale of Two Covers

In the beginning, there was a complaint. It went something along the lines of, “Y’know, I’ve never been able to find a novel about a garden club.” Seven months later, I finished writing one. Then came the hard part. What would … Continue reading

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Happy–cough–New–snort–Year!

So, I’m sitting here at my machine, and in between sneezes, coughs, and attempts to clear my sinuses (and everything attached thereto), I’m thinking it’s way past time for me to post something useful and writerly. (“Writerly” is a word, … Continue reading

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Huh? Zeus Wears a Chef’s Hat?

Forgive me if I’m excited about my new book. It’s been a while since I released some brand new, full-length fiction, and this tale is about as new as it gets. So, where did the new book come from? What … Continue reading

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Camera Angles and Paragraph Tangles

And you thought I was just a novelist. Sigh. It’s funny how certain things can coincide in one’s life and suggest ideas and/or actions unlikely to occur on their own. Such was the case for me recently when I found … Continue reading

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How I Write

[This is the fifth and, for now, final installment of words of wisdom gleaned by writers who have recently entered the wonderful world of publishing. This episode is by Doris Reidy, a dear friend and one helluva good writer. Please, … Continue reading

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Finding My Voice

Betty Smith has kindly consented to provide the fourth entry in this series about the experiences of newly published authors. A retired college professor, Betty came late to the craft of fiction writing. I’m pleased to say she made up … Continue reading

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