What is the pinecone method of plotting, you ask? You’re probably picturing a complex chart with technical terminology and arrows pointing up and down.
Trust me, it isn’t that complicated.
Category: Fiction
Creating Characters: No Right Way
Creating living, breathing characters that readers can love or hate and identify with is a huge part of every author’s[…]
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A Few of My Favorite Mystery Book Series
There are so many terrific mystery series, but there’s always room for more in a well rounded mystery reader’s to be read pile. Here are some favorites.
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Writers, don’t fear the outline
There is more than one way to write a book, or better stated, to conceive a book. However, outlining is often given a harsh shake of the head. Not creative enough. Constraining.
Recently I asked a number of writers why they felt this way. More to the point, I asked them what they meant by outlining.
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Law in Fiction: Anatomy of a Scandal
Law in Faction: Factish or Fictiony – A Lawyer’s Review
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Mystery Writers: Why NaNoWriMo works
Words on the page. Most writers agree that this is the key ingredient to shift from wanting to be a writer to being a writer. It is certainly key to seeing your book in print. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) was created with this in mind: words on the page. Fifty thousand words, ideally.
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Did Lady MacBeth Have Children–and What Does It Have to Do with July Fourth?
One of my professors in graduate school asked the question–Did Lady MacBeth have children?–to illustrate the fact that fictional characters[…]
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A Genre by Any Other Name
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m constantly having to look up genre conventions. Traditional mystery? High concept? Thriller? Suspense? Domestic Suspense? Cozy? We’re told we need to stick to the rules of our genre, and read widely in it so we know what to do. But there are so many sub genres! I’m ALWAYS getting lost.
A Handy, and Hopefully Less Mysterious, List
(this is not inclusive, and I’m sure I missed some. But I tried)
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Travel like a writer
Right now, I’m soaking in the sights and sounds and tastes of the United Kingdom. Traveling outside my day-to-day routine means more chances to observe and to be inspired.
With that on my mind, here are a few tips to travel like a writer.
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Stumblin’ outta bed and staggerin’ to the kitchen . . .
In In Place of Fear, we meet Helen Crowther the day before she begins her new job – her first job. She’s steeling herself, deciding what to wear, and still trying to persuade her parents that she’s not making a big mistake, biting off more than she can chew.
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