I’m ashamed to say that over the past year or so, my writing performance has severely declined. I can blame it on Covid; I can blame it on the uncertainty in our country’s political situation. But I can mostly blame it on my own laziness. But I can also blame it on my editor, who […]
I am working on the re-write of The Vacillating Vigilante. Re-writing is always a challenge, and I’ve heard some writers express a dislike of re-writing. But for me, it’s a chance to see my novel in its entirety, to make sure that all the threads are woven into the appropriate fabric, and to see how
I am almost done with the first draft of Vacillating Vigilante! Only about 11,000 words to go (an optimistic estimate, to be sure). Then re-write, send to an editor, and then on to others who will review and give me feedback. And finally to publishing. In terms of the Blake-Snyder outline, I have finished the
Reviews are the lifeblood of a successful writer’s career. When I get a favorable review, I feel pleased that I was able to satisfy a reader of my story. When I get an unfavorable review, I wonder why am I pretending that I’m a serious writer and why don’t I just take up bagging groceries
I discovered, as I was reviewing plot scenes in my mind and preparing to start writing, that I need to do more to develop my secondary characters. Then I realized that my goal was a lot more complicated than I first assumed. First of all, how do I even determine who is a secondary character?
Managing Characters Read More »
In the previous post, I described how I use Post-Its to work out the details of the plot, focusing on what MacFarland is doing, what others are doing, and key events that might affect the plot. The number of details I include in this phase varies from book to book, but some general guidelines apply.
Plotting a New Story – Part 3 Read More »