For me, the first step in beginning any new project is fleshing out my characters. I spend a lot of time mulling over not just each character’s personal appearance (which, honestly, could change anyway) but also his/her personality traits, quirks, nervous habits, taste in clothes and music, favorite movies, and so on — even if […]
My sister gave birth this morning to my beautiful niece, Piper. Debate over the perfect middle name had waged for months between the expectant mama and papa — with those of us on the outside lobbying for our favorites. They finally decided (just this morning!) to go with my sister’s own middle name. My little […]
Inspiration – Assignment #2 I love writing dialogue. But there are still days I want to pull my hair out because everything my characters are saying seems trite or stilted. (Helpful hint: When your own characters’ conversations make you yawn, you have a problem.) So, when I get stuck, how do I get those creative […]
Inspiration – Assignment #1 Walk among the dead. No, I’m not talking about hanging out with your local zombies. I’m talking about taking a stroll through a cemetery–preferably one that’s old and full of history. As you walk, read the names on the tombstones, the dates that defined their lives, the inscriptions of hope and […]
When people find out I’m a writer, one of the first questions that inevitably comes up is where I get all of the ideas for my stories. Well, the truth is, I get inspiration from pretty much anywhere and everywhere–a news story, the lyrics of a song, a dream, a photograph, a snippet of dialogue […]