I was thinking about this the other day while on hold. I was waiting for a break in the music that signaled that someone was going to rescue me from the unending monotony, so when the music would change from stringed instruments music to a pause, I'd get excited...only to have the music start another … Continue reading What Good Music Can Teach Us About Writing
Blog: Into the Writer Lea
For those who may not be familiar with it, the Bechdel Test is a gauge of whether a work of fiction features independent female characters. The requirements are that there must be two women who have at least one conversation together in which they don't talk about a man. The idea is that women should … Continue reading How Useful is the Bechdel Test in Writing?
For those interested, I have a new widget image, and I wanted to share an update regarding free book reviews. I am still accepting books for review; however, due to time constraints, prior commitments, and my paid work, I will have to be very selective as to which books I pick. I'm booked well into … Continue reading Update on Book Coaching and Reviews
Title: Poet of the Wrong Generation Author: Lonnie Ostrow Genre: Literary, General Fiction Book Blurb from Goodreads: “It’s not that I don’t love you, and my tears are yet to dry. But you can’t go back and forth forever and we’ve already said goodbye.” Through these words, a young poet unearths his musical soul while … Continue reading Book Review: Poet of the Wrong Generation
Over the weekend, I've been learning a lot about the editorial review process (no, not the most typical thing to do on warm summer days, I know), and I've discovered that when we say "someone reviewed a book," it can mean one of two things. They read it and wrote a reaction. This is what … Continue reading Editorial Reviews: What They Are and Why You Might Want One
I found this lovely gem in my reader this morning and wanted to share it with all of you. The whole article (found at the bottom of A Pilgrim in Narnia's post) is worth reading, but here are a few favorite quotes: "To be able to live a moment in an imagined world, we must … Continue reading George MacDonald Quotes on World-Building
Personally, I like fitting endings even more than happy ones. Sure, it's nice to know that the characters you've read about succeed. When you've invested time and emotional energy, you enjoy it when they make it out of their troubles and gain the victory they've sought for so long, but I don't like false endings. … Continue reading How to Write an Ending that Fits Your Story
Getting published can feel like taking a gamble and rolling dice. Sometimes, your number comes up; sometimes it doesn't. But there are ways to increase your chances. You can rework your story so it makes more sense, so the characters are more relatable, the plot more believable. You can get a better cover design or … Continue reading Introducing New Book Coaching Options
As writers, we've been told over and over how it's much better to show a reader something rather than tell them, and recently, I wrote about how one can use dance to show a character's thoughts and how she changes. As a general rule, showing means giving the reader details: letting them see what the … Continue reading Four Ways to Plan Showing Vs. Telling in Your Novel
As writers and artists, we're always looking for ways to express things better, to show our readers and audience how a character is growing, developing, and changing, and recently, through watching The Glass Slipper, I encountered a new means of adding to the "show, don't tell" techniques: dance. The plot is that of Cinderella, with Leslie Caron … Continue reading Dance as a Means of Showing, Not Telling
