Image by Виктория Бородинова from Pixabay
What’s the worst writing/publishing advice anyone ever gave you? Best?
The worst advice I got was from an early critique group leader, when I was writing my first attempt at a novel, who said, “Don’t let anything bad happen to Sarah.” Happy people in happy land, anyone?
Best advice? “Do what you’re good at. Do what you love. Hire out the rest.”
You’ve just committed the perfect murder (all that research finally pays off!), but to be successful the cops can’t find the corpse. Your DNA, a stray hair, fibers, or fingerprints might lead them back to you.
Where will you hide the body?
Hint: it’s the location of the book you’re reading. Get those creative juices flowing! Where in that location will you stash the evidence?
Are you dumping the evidence (latex gloves, murder weapon, etc.) with the body?
If no, what’s the distance between the evidence and the corpse?
What’s one activity you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t?
This activity might include writing in a different genre, bungee jumping, paragliding, skydiving, public speaking, writing from a new perspective, or scaling the side of a mountain.
What prevented you from doing this activity?
Age should never be a deterrent, but let’s face it, older bones may be more brittle, eyesight may not be as sharp . . . blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.
With that in mind, if you were twenty years younger, would you try this activity? What is it about this activity that appeals to you?
Success comes in many forms. No two writers view success in the same way. Sure, if we’ve had a film adaptation of our novel, then I think we can all agree that’s a success story.
That said, I’m a big believer in celebrating small victories along the road to success (whatever that means to YOU). Celebrating smaller victories helps to keep us focused, grounded, and moving forward in a positive way.
Please share one victory for 2020. I know it hasn’t been an easy year, but that’s why it’s more important than ever to celebrate each new hurdle you’ve jumped. A victory can be anything, from completing a manuscript to hiking a mountain for inspiration to a successful virtual book signing to Hollywood knocking at your door.
Let us celebrate your success!
Reader Friday: Emotional Scenes
When you’re writing an emotionally draining (or sexy, or sad, etc.) scene, how do you get in the mood?
Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay
Reader Friday: Characters
JD Robb has just published her 50th “In Death” book. The cast of characters has grown over time, but her two main characters, Eve and Roarke, have anchored every book. Other authors write multiple series featuring different characters, often those who have played secondary roles in previous books.
If you’re writing a series, do you get tired of the characters, or are they old friends? For recurring characters, how do you keep them fresh?
Image by AdoreBeautyNZ from Pixabay
An author friend said when she sits down at the keyboard, she has to apply a specific brand of hand lotion before she can start writing.
Do you have any rituals, routines, or quirks that you have to follow before you can settle in to write?
What are your writing goals for 2020? Are you on track to achieve those goals?
We all know writing is a marathon, not a sprint. For many, the pandemic demolished their writing goals for the year, or at least set them back.
I don’t want to push you if you’re not ready — we all cope differently and on our own timeline — but setting goals can help steer your writing dreams back onto the track. 🙂
Name one writing goal you hope to achieve this year. What about in 5 years? 10 years?
