One thing I love about One Note is you can "dock" it to the side of your monitor, so if you're writing in Word (or researching, or whatever), you...
I confess: I'm not crazy with a lot of my endings, and I am the queen of the "happy for now" ending as opposed to the "happily ever after"....
Personally, I'm tired of the "strong woman equals shrieking, demanding banshee" syndrome. I don't quite know how this got started, but somehow the...
Oh gods, no. Misery is definitely NOT required. Writing does not have to be hard. It's as much craft as it is art, and can take time to hone and...
Sometimes jumping around helps if you're stuck somewhere--you never know if something later on will unstick you! Screenwriters write out of order...
It sounds a little like you need to get organized (believe me--I've been there). First of all, know that Perfect is the enemy of Done. Writing...
I think the idea that you HAVE to write every day is a bit of a misnomer, personally. Many writers (even successful ones) have full time day jobs...
For me, part of the fun of the adventure is the possibility of romance (think of Bioware's games). And, when you think about it, isn't adventure...
No matter how much we plan (or not), I think quite a lot of us come across those unexpected but magical moments of inspiration where previously...
One of the many things I like about Scrivener is the side-by-side display option. I'll out my scene or chapter notes/outline in a text file in my...
I usually go with names from the real-world cultures I base my world building on, and where my characters are from within that world. Sometimes...
I think we all go through this once and awhile. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and recharge, or change our routine to infuse it with...
I use theme as the "spine" of my stories, but thoroughly in the background, informing conflict and character development.
The most effective use of back story I've seen is parceling it out as it pertains to the main events of the story, usually as an additional source...
Take heart, Krunchee--there are no new ideas! Which is why, if you give a hundred writers the same idea or prompt, you end up with a hundred...
Sounds like a watershed moment for you, Svrtnsse! It took me longer that it should have that "perfect" is the enemy of "done". Now there's a...
Love this! My eighth grade English teacher likened the plot incline to a roller coaster ride, and by the end of the "lecture" the entire class...
I totally agree, Foster. I usually have three projects going at a time--one in development, one in drafting status, and one in revision. I have a...
Or, What's In A Name? Wayne Zalewski--failed musician, pizza delivery boy, eternal optimist--shouldered a shovel slightly too long for him and...
I've found that releasing flash fiction on my blog works very well indeed. So does non-fiction content. However, keep in mind that if you're...
