Guest Blogging

Just a real quick update!I'm going to start doing some guest posts over at the AuthorCulture blog. The kind folks have invited me to join them permanently, but I'm not sure yet if that's something I can maintain, so for the next three or four months, I've agreed to do some guest blogging. My first …

Structuring Your Novel: A Review

As a "pantser" writer, me and structure/outlining don't necessarily go together naturally. Oil and water, we are.However, every writer should continue to learn about her craft, and that's where K.M. Weiland's new book, Structuring Your Novel, comes into play. I was absolutely delighted, I must say, when K.M. asked me to be an early reader, …

Homecoming

I must apologize first off for my lapse in the last two weeks of posts. I got caught up in preparations for my trip, then forgot to finish and post the one post I had started! Argh! Hopefully, I won't have such a lapse again. Anyway, I'm back, and that's the important part. Now, if …

Why It’s Important to Read Other Blogs

Due to couple of technical glitches on my end of things, this post apparently didn't run on Monday as I'd intended. Enjoy! ________________ If you're like me, you watch your fair share of crime dramas on TV. I love Bones, Castle, and NCIS immensely.But, if I'm not careful, I can allow them to color what …

Write What You DON’T Know

My writing friend K.M. Weiland recently asked on Twitter what the worst piece of writing advice you've ever received is.I had a prompt response:Write what you know.While this piece of advice is common in writer's circles, I'd have to say my stories would be pretty boring if I wrote about what I know. Who really …

What Can the Movies Teach Us About Setting

Often times setting is so integral to a story that it becomes a character in itself. Fantasy, science fiction, and historical stories all demand detailed and precise settings. Most mysteries will demand at least one scene set in a police station or morgue. Many thrillers and suspense stories have found great success by confining their …

My Favorite Resources

I thought today I'd share with you some of my favorite places on the web that have really made me think about my writing and how to improve it. While this list is nowhere near comprehensive, I hope the sampling provides you with some new places to visit frequently.Agent/Editor BlogsThe Rejectionist -- This isn't an …

Author Interview: K.M. Weiland, Part 2

Welcome back to our interview with author K.M. Weiland! Be sure to check out her new release, Behold the Dawn!And without further ado, here's the second installment of our interview._______________Liberty Speidel: Do you have any rituals when you write?K.M. Weiland: Yes, I’m actually very ritualistic. My normal pre-writing routine goes something like this: pray, scribble …

Author Interview: K.M. Weiland, Part 1

Today, I'm very pleased to welcome my good online-writing buddy, K.M. Weiland. I frequently link to K.M.'s blogsite, Wordplay, so she's not a stranger to Word Wanderings. Please join me in welcoming her! We'll be having a two-part interview, and trust me, you won't want to miss any of it, so be sure to come …