Someone took a video of me trying to get into a hammock.
I only wanted to take a nap!
In the end, I took my frustration out on an unsuspecting writer. Poor fellow, he just wanted to ask a question; and I snapped.
All caught on video.
Blog
When Characters and Settings Go Wrong
A few months ago, I didn’t finish a general market book because of the setting and characters. Here’s what I believe happened: The author did not want to write about where she lives, but she needed: A police force allowing a crime scene to be contaminated, along with other sloppy police work. A police force with corrupt and adulterous officers. A remote vacation spot. A coffee shop within walking …
Point of View Post #2
Welcome back to our discussion about point of view (POV). I want to continue to build on what I talked about last time. In the last post, I explored what point of view actually is. Now I’m going to break down three different types of POV. Note that these are not the only other points of view, but ones used most often in fiction. First Person Point of View This is when the narrator is a character …
Announcing the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference
I’m excited to announce that tickets are now for sale for the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference. The conference will be held in Austin, Texas, on January 17 and 18. This event is not a typical writer’s conference where you learn how to write and publish a book. This article first appeared on Novel Marketing, so if you follow both blogs, this will be a repeat for you. What makes the Novel …
In Memory of John Wooden
Fourteen years ago, the great Hall-of-Fame basketball coach John Wooden passed away at the age of ninety-nine. As you can see from the photo above, I had the privilege of attending one of his basketball camps during the Summer of 1974–fifty years ago. It was a John Wooden and Bill Sharman (coaches of UCLA and the LA Lakers, respectively) camp in Honolulu. We lived and breathed basketball …
Fun Fridays – October 4, 2024
Terrible Christian Puns None of these puns are original. I take no credit or blame. (I only laughed.) All were found floating around the Internet. ___________ Where is a square dance class mentioned in the Bible? Jonah 4:11: “There are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left.” Who was the smartest man in the Bible? Abraham. He …
Writing History Too Soon
Over six and a half years ago, I wrote a blog for this space on the necessity for authors to be students of history. Awareness of past events is important to determine a current context, a healthy perspective, and a sense of how things change (or not). Sometimes, the long-term implications of an event are quite different than initially thought. Most of us can look back on life events with a …
A Scrivener Flunky Weighs In – Guest Post
A Guest Post by Deborah Raney Deborah Raney’s first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Thirty years, forty-plus books, and numerous awards later, she’s still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. A RITA and ACFW Carol Award winner and three-time Christy Award finalist, Deb is represented by our agency. She is …
Fun Fridays – September 27, 2024
Yet another fascinating bit of world trivia. Today’s video is a four-minute piece about an office inside an elevator. Watch and be amazed. I want one.
Where’s Your Writer’s Galilee? Judea?
Sometimes being a writer—and writing for publication—is so delightful, amazing, and wonderful, that you feel like a pig in mud. And sometimes being a writer feels more like you’re a pig in raisin sauce. Maybe you can’t identify. Maybe you’re just loving the writing life, riding high, cashing the checks, and collecting the awards. If that’s the case, then you can close this window now. Just click …