Uncategorized

Writing a New Genre

July 13, 2015July 12, 2015Motivation and the Writing Life, Uncategorized, Writing Tips

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

After a really nice vacation to Alaska (where it wasn’t even close to the 100 degrees F we’ve had here in NC), I had a few things to deal with. A lot of unpacking, a suitcase that decided to hang out in Dallas, TX, instead of following us home, and a book to finish.

I’d hoped to finish the book during my vacation. I did get a lot written, but it wasn’t quite finished. I finally knocked out the last bit yesterday and then quickly cleaned it up to send it along to my freelance editor.

This book was an interesting project for me. It was an attack book…one that forced me to write it. It’s been bugging me for three years. I’ve got several other things to work on right now, but I scheduled time to work on this one.

I’d no idea how difficult it would be to write. I ran a couple of weeks over my self-imposed deadline. I’m happy with the finished product, but…it was a bear to write. Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015Twitterific, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Hope everyone has had a nice last couple of weeks. I’ve enjoyed a great vacation with my family and am now getting back into the swing of things again. :) This edition of Twitterific should include all the tweets I’d scheduled when I was gone. Hootsuite didn’t seem to want to cough up such a large number of links, but this is my manual reconstruction of what was scheduled. Thanks!

Auditioning a Narrator for your ACX Audiobook: http://ow.ly/PnMM2 @amcbooks

What It Was Really Like Writing Harry Potter: http://ow.ly/PnN1x from Write Like Rowling

Writing the Multi-Platform Novel: http://ow.ly/PnMDI @HDemetrios @ingridsundberg Continue reading

Writing When It’s Difficult to Write

June 19, 2015June 18, 2015Motivation and the Writing Life, Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I pride myself on being a productive writer. I keep to my deadlines, both self-imposed and contractual. I write each day and meet my goals.

It’s rare I get knocked off track. But I sure did this week. We had a water main break. Backhoes trenched from the street to our house to replace broken pipes. We had no water. Gardenia bushes were dug up (right when they were blooming!) Sewer lines were accidentally dinged with the backhoe (ugh). To add insult to injury, the break was on our side, not the city’s side, so the repairs were on our dime.

And we had house guests. :) I felt sorry for them. Heck, I felt sorry for me.

Yeah, I haven’t gotten much done…on the progression of the actual manuscript.Continue reading

Location, Location, Location

May 22, 2015May 17, 2015Mystery Writing Tips, Uncategorized, Writing Tips

by Carolyn Haines, @DeltaGalCarolyn

In real estate, the old saw is that location is everything. For me, the same is almost always true in fiction. My reading and writing preference is that the characters are either organic to the setting, or they are fish out of water. Either choice provides the reader with a unique view of the story’s setting.

Growing up in Mississippi, I’m well aware of the rich heritage of writers from my home state. Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams—they have imprinted an image of Mississippi on multiple generations of readers and writers. My experiences were very different. I grew up during the turmoil of the 60s and 70s. My parents were journalists who believed in civil rights at a time when that wasn’t the most popular stance. So I grew up loving the incredible woods and creeks of a state blessed with natural beauty, but saddened by the willful ignorance and sometimes the pure damn meanness. It is this rich diversity that makes Mississippi such a perfect setting for novels: the very poor and very wealthy, the pine barrens and sandy beaches of the Gulf, the good-hearted and kind, and those who are not. I grew up knowing all of it. And all of it comes out in the characters I write about.Continue reading