The Road Less Written
Writers helping writers on the path to excellence
Developing Characters in Fiction
Writing great characters is, for me, at the top of the priority list for writing fiction. Whether you're looking at the next Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones, or A Song of Ice and Fire), or Billy Lynch (Charming Billy), you are seeing a well thought out character...
Help Wanted: 3 post topics for authors to write
I’ve come to appreciate the online community of writers. Authors generously sharing advice, experience, and expertise has made me feel a whole lot less of a clueless newbie. In fact, I’ve gotten so used to it, that when I face a quandary, I simply search Google to see...
A Heroine for the Ages: A Conversation with Taylor Stevens
Her books have rung the bells of the New York Times Best Seller list ever since her debut novel, The Informationist, first burst onto the literary scene to critical acclaim (the book is currently being adapted into film by director James Cameron). Since then, author...
Places to Write
We all find ways to inspire our writing. For me, it is often a location. I am especially partial to a nice café, a local Starbucks, or a bar with a nice ambiance. Most of all I find places that inspire memories and a sense of nostalgia to be the best writing...
Have you hugged a book blogger today—at least metaphorically?
The Wonderful World of Blog Tours I used to think a blog tour was when an esteemed blogger, ahem, went on a virtual tour, imparting her “voice” to various blogs. That’s not it. On a blog tour, a book goes on a virtual trip with just a note from its author, usually...
The 2014 Nonfiction Writers Conference: A Review
Before I jump into my post with my mature author's pen (or typewriter or metaphor of your choice), I'd like to share a huge WHOOPPEE and thank-you. Memories of Me: A Complete Guide to Telling and Sharing the Stories of Your Life is now available! Oddly, I don't feel...
Dear Michigan, I’m Leaving You
I swoon for summer. I get hot for the heat. The waft of barbecue in the summer air is like an aphrodisiac. For my money, nothing beats a road trip with the windows down and a great music playlist. Yep, nothing gets my dopamine flowing better than a pleasant day. But...
The Send-Off
The following first appeared in Laura Hedgecock's blog, www.treasurechestofmemories.com. With the trees budding and the bees buzzing, I thought it'd be a fitting post for a spring day. There we stood, lined up along that faulted slab of asphalt outside the school...
POSTURE YOURSELF TO BECOME A FULL-TIME WRITER
A call to arms, if you will. How many times have we wondered how much of it is luck? Well, my newest stance on that is “Who the heck cares!” Take a cue from Peter Dinklage’s recent quote on luck. If you aren't putting in the sweat and tears to make it happen, you will...
Easy SEO Tricks that Won’t Change Your Style
As a follow up to Writing for SEO: Does it Ruin Good Writing?, I’d like to illustrate some painless tricks to elevate your Search Engine Optimization that will have minimal impact on your article content or writing style. Give Search Engines Information about Your...
Writing for SEO and Writing Well: Not Mutually Exclusive
Writing for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can help our content reach a maximum number of readers. But, on the other hand, we’ve developed our craft so that when readers do find us, they’ll want to read more. Do we really want to alter our writing? ‘‘ search-engine...
The Dope House Philosopher
Without even trying, I tend to be attracted to literary and film characters that, like me, share a nihilistic view of life and morality. Pretty ironic, given the fact that my day job requires me to uphold and enforce laws enacted from a bunch of handed-down,...