Author of MISERERE: AN AUTUMN TALE and writer of dark fantasy. I've long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying.My website
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Category Archives: notes on writing
writing a business plan
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is off and running! Good luck and happy writing to all those participating, but I’m afraid I won’t be joining in the fun. I view my desire to become a novelist as a career decision, … Continue reading
Posted in Business Plan, notes on writing, Writing
Tagged novel writing, writers, Writing, writing business, writing business plan
6 Comments
character-based vs. plot-based novels
Which would you prefer to write? A novel about a war that encompasses generations and various mythical countries or a novel about how one protagonist must cope within the war torn world? This is highly subjective and depends a great … Continue reading
Posted in notes on writing, Writing
Tagged character development, character motivation, Characterization, novel writing, plot-based novels, plots, reading, writers, Writing
9 Comments
another take on the synopsis
I’ve been thinking about the synopsis and the enormity of smashing my 87,000 word manuscript into a one page document. While the synopsis plan was on a slow burn in the back of my mind, I had a great idea … Continue reading
Posted in notes on writing, Synopsis, Writing
Tagged Helene Boudreau, novel synopsis, novel writing, novels, Plotting OCD Style, Synopsis, writers, Writing
10 Comments
unlikable characters
Last week someone made an interesting comment in their critique of my chapter nine. The individual said she didn’t find one of my main characters, Rachael, very likable or sympathetic. She didn’t like Rachael as much as she did Lucian. … Continue reading
writer’s block or what to do when the @#$@! chapter just isn’t working . . .
There are a lot of great articles out there about getting around writer’s block, but I had an interesting experience with my previous chapter. In a previous post, I talked about being at the chapter where my protagonist and one … Continue reading
scene evaluation in chapters
No pithy word count today. If anything, I’ve gone in the opposite direction and started axing scenes that do nothing to move the story forward. I finished chapter nine over the weekend, and while I’ve still got some touch-ups to … Continue reading
Posted in editing, notes on writing, Writing
Tagged character development, Characterization, editing, novel writing, Writing
6 Comments
religion in fantasy novels
Since no one burned my house down after the Tolkien post, I’m going out on a limb here and talk to you about using religion in your fantasy novels. Generally speaking, when building worlds in fantasy novels, the religions of … Continue reading
Posted in notes on writing, World Building, Writing
Tagged Fantasy, novel writing, religion in worldbuilding, World Building, worldbuilding, writers, Writing
13 Comments
diagnosing scene problems
I wanted to write something clever and witty this morning, but clever and witty went out the door last night while I was working on my current work in progress. This is the big moment, you see, when I finally … Continue reading
multiple protagonists, or you’re not Tolkien
I’ve noticed many aspiring fantasy writers on various blogs discussing their multiple protagonists. Of course, the word count on these rather prodigious works often exceeds the 120,000 mark, because the writer feels the need to elaborate on each protagonist. Whenever … Continue reading
can you over edit your manuscript?
No. Well, technically, that would be the end of this post; however, for the sake of the blog, I’ll elaborate. First, when I say editing, I don’t mean changing plotlines or major characters. When I talk about editing, I’m talking … Continue reading
Posted in editing, notes on writing, Writing
Tagged editing, novel writing, writers, Writing
4 Comments
