You might be asking yourself why I would want to talk about connecting with people.  After all, as a writer, you write a story and people read it, right?  They buy your book, you collect the money and write another and the cycle of reader/writer life simply goes on in perpetuity. I suspect those of you who have some inkling about the challenges writer’s face are already laughing.  If you aren’t laughing, I think you might need a small (or large) dose of reality. The truth is, your writing won’t resonate with everyone.  It has probably happened to you too; you pick up a book and start reading it only to quickly lose interest and put it down.  It’s happened […]

Let me begin by saying that I love to write.  Most days I enjoy building worlds, creating unique characters and letting stories unfold. Note that I said “Most days”. There are times when I simply cannot get myself motivated to write.  Some might call it writer’s block, but not me.  For me it’s usually because I have too many things I want to write.  I kid you not, too much of a good thing can prove overwhelming.  That was the case the past 10 days or so. I have no shortage of writing and projects on the go:  my fantasy novel rewrite, my Critters submissions, my Nano novel to plot, query letters to send out and the list goes on. […]

I have trouble writing scenes.  Usually I feel that my description of the setting is too lean.  I like to let people use their imaginations, but I don’t think I give them enough to work with. That is a far cry from how I used to write.  When I first started writing I was always trying to paint beautiful pictures that flew on wings of purple prose.  I thought I needed to be both poetic and thorough to be a good writer.  Somewhere along the way (during my writing course, I think) I did a complete 180 degree turn and went minimal. Which way is right?  Looking at the writing I’m doing now I would say that neither is the […]