Blog

If you’re a Pantser, life—and writing—is one wild ride. And you wouldn’t have it any other way. Flying by the seat of your pants takes guts. The term comes from the days when flight was brand-new, when barnstormers piloted those old single-engine planes without using any instruments, performing heart-stopping tricks and stunts in the air. … Read more

Wrote a new short story! Just for fun, I sidetracked a little this month and explored a new idea. This was one of those things that you have to try, just to see if it works. So I banged out a nearly 8,000-word story by the seat of my pants (never done that before!) polished it, … Read more

I’m starting to sound like a James Riley groupie. I feel like I’ve mentioned his name in almost every book review so far! But there’s no denying his middle-grade novel Story Thieves is another fun read, especially if you were raised on fantasy/adventure novels. That said … it’s not perfect. If you’ve already read Half … Read more

There is a stretch of chapters in every novel that is affectionately nicknamed the “Murky Middle.” The Murky Middle is so named because, as an author, you’re wading through a proverbial slough with no end in sight, slushing your legs through knee-deep slime and mud. This is the part of your story where you forget … Read more

I’ve been so busy writing that I’ve forgotten to take the time to just observe life. I’ve neglected taking walks to soak up my surroundings. Watch people. Find new places. Listen to conversation. Time to change that. The Secret Cause of Burnout I think a hidden, sneaky cause of creative burnout is a lack of … Read more

It’s personal confession time. What changed me from a hardcore pessimist to a sold-out optimist? Sometime in my childhood, I figured out a fantastic way to avoid disappointment. After fighting back the tears of another letdown—maybe a fun trip that was cancelled, or a promised activity that never happened—I decided I wouldn’t let disappointment hurt … Read more

Never finish what you start? You need to do this. I used to turn every idea into a novel. The moment I bumped into a stimulating story seed, I’d start writing page after page, burning off pure inspiration. But the inspiration would run out. And with it, the ideas. I’ve started a lot of novels. … Read more

In the second installment in this blog series , we’re going to look at another secret that is under-used in all but the best prose: the use of similes and metaphors. They create dynamic word pictures, imaginative storyscapes, and draw the reader into the story. Before we start, a quick grammar lesson: A simile is … Read more

Writing a novel? Awesome! If you’re like me, you’re probably keeping an eye on that little “word count” ticker on the bottom of your screen, wondering to yourself, Is this going to be long enough to count as a novel? Turns out, there are rules to the game of writing. A novel’s definition is a … Read more

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” — Mark 10:27 We all know this verse and quote it often. But there’s more to believing the impossible than meets the eye. I circled it in black ink on my oversized … Read more