Steampunk. If you're a writer, you may have run across this cute little term in an editor or agent's "interests" section. As a reader, your thinking, "Say what? Punk?" Yeah, I know. Makes me think of pink Mohawks too. But don't get confused here. Steampunk is a blenderized combination of the late 1800s/early 1900s, industrialization,... Continue Reading →
In every writing workshop I conduct, the topic of using swear words in teen fiction is a huge issue of debate, with people as polarized over the subject as the American legislature on the Affordable Healthcare Act. And I have to say, I've found both sides (on the swear word debate) to have valid reasons for... Continue Reading →
I have discovered a very cool writing resource. The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression, is pretty awesome. I love it. I mean, I touch it a lot, give it yearning looks, and glow when I gaze on it. Okay, so that may be a little over the top as far as showing... Continue Reading →
Last weekend, I attended my first writers' conference in a while. Let me tell you, it was a good experience, and it taught me the value of meeting with other writers, as well as taking advantage of listening to and chatting with editors and agents, people who often seem so far away from my little... Continue Reading →
You have it! That killer, awesome, super cool, totally-going-to-get-you-a-literary-award-and-movie-deal idea for a novel. So what are you waiting for? Get those little fingers moving. Okay, so maybe it's not that easy. We all have some pretty good story ideas. But how do you take a big, fat, fabulous idea and streamline that baby into a can't-put-it-down-or-I'll-die kind of... Continue Reading →
In Twilight, the carry on was a parka. In Harry Potter, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were perfectly normal. And in Hunger Games, the other side of the bed was cold. These are the openers for three books that have taken both the publishing world and Hollywood by storm. While the stories have grabbed the minds and hearts of... Continue Reading →
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