I have been an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy books since I was a kid. I hated reading until I first opened up The Hobbit and then delved into the world of Middle Earth with The Lord of the Rings in the seventh grade. J.R.R. Tolkien taught me to love reading. So I…
My Fiction Journey
From beginner to bestseller, I'm sharing everything I'm learning on my journey writing fiction.
I'm learning a lot and other authors will, too.
Don’t Wait for Ideal Circumstances to Write (A Writing Lesson from E. B. White)
I really needed to read this quote this week from E. B. White: I’m able to work fairly well among ordinary distractions. My house has a living room that is at the core of everything that goes on: it is a passageway to the cellar, to the kitchen, to the closet where the phone lives….
4 lessons I learned from reading my fables to my kids
62. That’s the number of fables I’ve written so far this year. If you had asked me a year ago what I would be writing in 2018, I never would have guessed it would be this. Yet, I’ve really enjoyed the experience and its getting results. I’m a teacher. I love helping people learn. When…
How Make Your Characters Active, Not Passive
Your characters must be active, not passive. This is a cardinal rule of writing fiction. I really liked the simple advice that the hosts of the Writing Excuses podcast (episode 13.2) gave (listen here). I’ll summarize and expand, but essentially have your characters: Desire – They must want something. Plan – They must make plans…
Learn to Write Well by Reading A Lot
Second, you must read, and read a lot. Did I say A LOT? I read over a hundred books a year and have done so since I was fifteen years old, and every book I’ve read has taught me something. I’ve learned that some authors are incredible at building suspense (see The Firm by John Grisham), I’ve…
