#writingcraft: Beginning Again

I know. It’s December, the month of a zillion holidays, events, and headaches. Yet, yes, I am beginning again. It was in September of 2014 when I had my crude draft done on my first novel, my only novel so far --- maybe my only one ever. I tried several times to get into that …

Stomping On Hate

A few days ago I woke up with a multitude of health problems. Some were easy fixes. I opened the new bottle of Ibuprofen and swallowed two with water. That took care of the headache and the chronic leg pain for a while so that I could come up with some sort of plan to …

Out of Sync

I know. I missed the last coffee clutch. I could tell you I was busy working on my WiP, which wouldn't be a lie. I could tell you I've been painting stain onto a piece of plywood I’m going to be putting on my desk. That wouldn't be a lie either. But... the reason I …

Before The Story

I have an online friend, Jacqui Murray, who puts so much effort into her groundwork for her books that I’m utterly stupefied by it. She does research, charts, diagrams, maps, worksheets, spreadsheets, and heaven knows what else. She is the ultimate plotter. How much detail should go into the preliminary work of a novel? When …