You have a character in your head who is clamoring to get out. You already know his or her entire backstory: where he/she was born, who were the parents, first loves, first broken bone, etc. etc. You also know how the character should grow during the story. So far so good. Then you start to write and the character ‘magically’ goes from being a hard-headed bitch (substitute bastard for a guy if you like) to someone who gets all emotional over the smallest thing. And it all happens in a few short chapters. Maybe even in a few paragraphs. Sound familiar? It happened to me in my book “The Goddess Renewed”. One of my protagonists, Paena (female, in case you’re […]
Read moreCategory: Irreverent Muse
The Writing Life: Trying New Things
For those of you who know me (or have read the “About Me” section of this site) you will know I typically write Fantasy, Science Fiction and YA Adventure. You would also probably know that I prefer to write novels over short stories. But is that the limit to my creativity? Am I a one (or in this case three) trick pony? I certainly hope not. I like to try new things. For example, I’ve always wanted to write humor. Specific to humor, I’ve always loved “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. Not the movie or old BBC episodes, but the books themselves. I used to read the Guide at least once per year, usually when I was in a […]
Read moreThe Writer’s Life – Barriers to Getting Published
I have made no secret my desire to get my work out in print but there are days when I wonder if I’ve got the chops to actually make it. I’ve had several established (see published) authors tell me that I have what it takes. The interesting (to me at least) thing about that is most of them have not read a single word of my prose. If they haven’t read my work how can they honestly say I have what it takes? I actually asked that very question of one of my author friends. He is a writer with five books out and I have known him for a few years now. I trust his opinion. When he said […]
Read morePoll: Which should come first? The Agent or the Publisher?
Should a writer do an agent search before anything ever gets sent to a publisher, or should the writer bite the bullet and submit themselves? What do you think? [poll id=”2“]
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