The Road Less Written
Writers helping writers on the path to excellence
Some Words with a Muse
Having rescheduled yet another appointment due to my predilection for getting lost in my writing, I decided that it was time to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with my Muse. Seriously! When I chose a literary career, I thought I was supposed to be in charge of...
Submitting Poetry and Short Stories
For all of us writers, publishing at least SOMETHING can be the difference in our lives that keep us writing. It's what makes you feel like a writer, and feel justified when you tell others you are a writer. Today I would like to discuss the process of submitting...
Do You Remember…
The Stories Beneath Us
Now that there is time you feel as if you have none. But ignore this. Keep your pace. And take in the serenity of your surroundings. You don’t realize how absurd it seems until you try explaining it to your child: the concept of cemeteries. “You mean there are dead...
Why Cars and Car Stories Matter
Cars are more than nuts and bolts. Because of their ability to evoke memories (See Car Memories and How to Write About Them), cars are a powerful tool for writers. They’re a setting in and of themselves. That’s probably why fiction writers think carefully before they...
Compelling Stories: Do only some of us have them?
All writers consider writing about the episodes of their past. It's not just the aspiring memoirist that wonders, "Is my story compelling enough?" What started me down this path was reading Anne R. Allen's How to Write a Publishable Memoir: 12 Do’s and Don’ts. “DON’T...
Personality Disorders = Goldmine
Want to create memorable characters with depth, complexity and an unpredictable capability for danger? Then give them a personality disorder … but don’t diagnose it. Who could forget the character of Alex Forrest from the 1987 thriller “Fatal Attraction?” Actress...
Should I Write an Alternate POV?
I recently finished writing a novel… Or did I? That is a question we often ask ourselves, and in some cases that may revolve around a doubt that what we have is enough and whether a second point of view (POV) would improve our writing or distract from it. This was the...
Recognizing Your Writing Flaws Can Help You Edit
Over the last sixteen months, I’ve had the dubious pleasure of having my proposal and manuscript edited and proofread. Through working with multiple editors, I came to see patterns in their corrections and comments. Recognizing my writing flaws has helped me edit and...
People-Watching and Character Development
People-watching. It’s a never-ending source of inspiration for fiction writers who might find themselves in need of some good source material. If, like us, you abide by the somewhat cliché notion that everyone’s got a story to tell, then what better place to peruse...
My Kris Mehigan Blog Interview
I was recently asked to participate in a Blog Tour Q&A with Kris Mehigan. You can visit her blog at: http://krismehigan.tumblr.com/ Right now, I am working on: ...a couple of books, actually. The book I recently finished is titled, “The Portraits of Gods”. Here’s...
Writing About Fighting: How to Create Realistic Combat Without Getting Your Head Knocked Off
With split-second timing, the hero levels his enemy with a perfectly-timed jumping front kick. Striking his erstwhile attacker on the chin, his steel-like foot sends the villain careening into the two evil henchmen behind him, knocking them down. As one enemy gets up...
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