Book Review – Riven Calyx

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted (or done book reviews), but I’m going to try to get back to them here. (Full disclosure—I did work on this project as a book coach, but I’m going to apply the same rubric I always use for reviews to see how it stacks up against others … Continue reading Book Review – Riven Calyx

What Do You Hope to Do This Year?

I'm not sure new year resolutions are the best option, but starting another "journey 'round the sun" is a great time to think about what you did last year and what you'd like to accomplish this year. For me, it's been far too long since I've posted, so that's one of my goals this year—blogging … Continue reading What Do You Hope to Do This Year?

Commercial Fiction vs. Literary Fiction—Which Do You Write and How to Tell the Difference?

As soon as you sit down to market your work, you need to know what it is that you've written. You may have some idea from comparing your work to other people, but it helps to know what you've written from your writing itself, as just "having romance" in your story doesn't make it a … Continue reading Commercial Fiction vs. Literary Fiction—Which Do You Write and How to Tell the Difference?

Why Your Book Needs Beta Readers

Nowadays, you can go from "I've got a great idea" to "PUBLISHED" without involving anyone besides yourself. You can do your own editing and proofreading, formatting, cover design, and blurb writing (I'm not saying you should, but it can be done). Now, we've talked about the need for good cover design, and we discussed what … Continue reading Why Your Book Needs Beta Readers

When Just Showing Isn’t Enough

As writers, we're told that we should "Show, Not Tell" all the time, and it's advice that is usually quite helpful. When possible, we need to let a scene unfold before the readers, to where they get to see what happens and to experience the details just as the characters do. But there are times … Continue reading When Just Showing Isn’t Enough

Blurb Coaching – The Rock of Achill

I’ve been sharing the blurb coaching series from A Writer’s Path Writers Club, and this is the next in the series. To learn more about how your blurb can be coached, click here. Enjoy! Genre: Historical Fantasy Title: The Rock of Achill Original Blurb: An Irish tale you’ve never been told. A boy joins a … Continue reading Blurb Coaching – The Rock of Achill

Review – Cashmere Writing Gloves

I recently had the opportunity to review the cashmere writing gloves from Literary Book Gifts. With winter approaching, the idea of being able to keep warm while typing sounded ideal, especially for those of us who live in chilly climates, and Literary Book Gifts offers fingerless gloves in cashmere, which sounded like a great fabric. … Continue reading Review – Cashmere Writing Gloves

Book Review – A Foot Wide on the Edge of Nowhere

Title: A Foot Wide on the Edge of Nowhere: Olive and Theo Simpkin—Sharing Good New in China Author: Helen Joynt Genre: Nonfiction Book Blurb (from Goodreads): Theo Simpkin is a young science student at the University of Melbourne when he senses God's call to share the good news with the people of China. Meanwhile Olive … Continue reading Book Review – A Foot Wide on the Edge of Nowhere

The Power in Our Words

This is part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog-hop, designed to help encourage authors and foster discussions about writing topics across the internet and the world. This month's question is, "What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?" This is something I constantly have to watch out for, as an … Continue reading The Power in Our Words

How to Manage Time in Your Novel’s Plot

When you write a story, you have time passing, whether it's just a few moments, a few hours, or a few days. Frequently, you have events happening that require you to stick to a particular time table, and if that time table isn't included in the story, readers can object to the plot, feeling that … Continue reading How to Manage Time in Your Novel’s Plot