writing Archives - Page 2 of 30

Music

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Michell

There is a very strong connection between music and writing. Both tell stories. Both can bring forth very strong emotions in the recipient. For me, music represents yet another avenue for inspiration. For example, as soon as I heard Kiss from a Rose by Seal, a story popped into my head. The imagery from the song was so strong the story was almost immediately there. It took me a while to work out all the details for the story, but once I did, I had to write it. That has happened other times too; a song has inspired a character or a setting or plot points. I wonder if stories do the same for song writers? Music also provides me […]

I Should Practice What I Preach

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Michell

I have long believed that the best way to get better as a writer is to write (reading is important too, but writing is where the rubber meets the road). I have also said many times, you can’t edit anything that hasn’t been written down. I haven’t been practicing those beliefs as much as I should be. I have an excuse for that, and believe me, it is an excuse. It’s one I suspect many fledgling professional authors have faced. The excuse is this: I want every book I write to be better than the last. At first glance that probably looks like a good goal to reach for and it is. However, and here is how it has become […]

Six Writing Rules for Finishing your Novel

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Michell

Writing a book is something many people want to do. Some people actually start doing it and a few complete it. I am one of those few and, the biggest lesson I learned when I finished my first book was… Wait for it… …that I could actually write a book. Please note, I didn’t say, “Write a good book.” Just that I could do it. Since that first book, I have written seven or eight novels (four of which have been published) and a dozen or more short stories (several of which have been published, too). I have come up with a concise list of rules that, when followed, will allow you to finish a novel (again, note I didn’t […]

Writing Process

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Michell

I have seen and heard the question asked, “How do you write?” The answer I hear most often is, it depends on the writer. Some writers are planners, some discover their writing as they go. For me? The best answer I can give is, “It depends.” For example, when JR Murdock and I are preparing to write our Jack Kane novels (one of which is published already and another is being worked on) we plot and plan to the nth degree. When I write my Mik Murdoch books (again, two published and one at the publisher) I do a combination of the two. I plot high level, getting more granular on the two or three chapters I’m immediately faced with. […]

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