I’m from the American South, so it should be cussin’. Basically, I’m covering profanity here, and am curious to poll writers’ and readers’ thoughts. Generation X, including yours truly, had a certain amount [...]

I’ve gotten to that part of the manuscript. You know the part I’m talking about.  I’ve written the first draft from beginning to end, and now it’s time to make some assessments. Where [...]

Sometimes when I’ve got my writer hat on (conferences, signings, publicity things), I’m asked to look over someone’s draft, short story, or manuscript. If I’ve got the time (and usually I try to [...]

I was part of a writers’ conference this past weekend and talked about developing characters for mysteries. The audience was attentive, the library that hosted the event was gracious, and my topic seemed [...]

Sometimes life happens to a writer and they get behind. Not me, of course! I’d never do that. But some writers do. If you’re one of those writers (poor things), here are some [...]

I’d just like to check and see if anyone else is in the same shape I am, memory-wise. It seems that my head is so full of imaginary friends (and I do mean [...]

We all need a little help. I’ve been the recipient of a great deal of help the last few days—in the form of my twelve-year-old son. We were at Walmart and he wanted [...]

Today was my first day to blog at InkSpot—the blog for Midnight Ink writers. The topic I wrote on was “Information Dumps”—you know, when you dump a whole bunch of information, usually backstory [...]

I’ve always been fascinated by different perspectives (like the optical illusion on the left. Do you see the young woman with her face turned away? Do you see the hag with her chin [...]

I don’t know about you, but the site that I use most frequently is Google. I have it set as my home page now, since I bring it up so much. There are [...]

Lately, my characters want to make disparaging comments on the state of their 401Ks, the economy in general, and rising gas prices. I tell my characters to put a sock in it. If [...]

I’m part of a panel of mystery writers that’s teaching a writing course next weekend. I usually don’t have any trouble talking about my assigned topic, but whenever I’m asked for advice on [...]

The other day, my college roommate sent me an email.  She was going to the beach house on Sullivan’s Island, SC (near Charleston)—did I want to come? Of course, I had no business [...]

Cool: Tell your friends your mother writes books. Have them convinced you’re a liar. Have Mom verify later she actually does write. Maximum impact! Your name is in actual, printed books (because Mom [...]

I think most readers agree that one thing that immediately forces them out of a story is when a character does something out of character. Occasionally authors need a plot device to forward [...]

Ohhh, it’s been a frustrating couple of weeks.  I don’t usually like reading blog posts where the person has a long list of gripes.  This time, though, I’m going to write a list [...]

What makes a good protagonist? This is a pretty subjective question since different readers like different types of heroes and heroines. But I see some common traits among the protagonists I admire: They’re [...]

I have always been fascinated that American Martha Grimes writes a very successful British police procedural series. The series is set around different British pubs, and includes deft descriptions of various British locales. [...]

It’s a rough world out there right now, job-wise. It’s even rough for characters in manuscripts. I’ve found that if one of my characters isn’t doing their job in telling the story, then [...]

Do not put statements in the negative form. And don’t start sentences with a conjunction. If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be [...]

Lately I’ve really paid attention when I’ve had an “aha!” moment when talking to people. You know the kind of moment: one minute you’re having a boring conversation with a mom about the [...]

I’m definitely a morning person. I get up at 5:00 each morning, if not before. Actually, I’m up most of the night, but that’s the insomnia thing. Because of this schedule, I find [...]

The Devil in Manuscript: Nathaniel Hawthorne “I do believe,” said he, soberly, “or, at least, I could believe, if I chose, that there is a devil in this pile of blotted papers.” I [...]

Today I’m guest blogging at the Darkened Jade website.  I’m discussing what happens after you get the initial idea for a manuscript (which I really think depends on the type of person you [...]

Iago made the perfect Shakespearean villain. Evil to the core, he was determined to abuse Othello’s trust. He manipulates Othello and plots to destroy him. Wow. My bad guys are murderers, but Iago [...]

I’m feeling daring today, so I’m going to touch on one of the more difficult topics—religion. (Hope this isn’t one of those things where I wonder later what the heck I was thinking….) [...]

So I was at Costco, buying a couple of bottles of wine (great prices there, by the way), and went through the check-out line. I have long hair, so my face was shielded [...]

And now for something completely different.  This post is for writers like me who are impatient with clicking between open windows and open programs, or who want to quickly move through their manuscript.  [...]

I went to lunch with a friend and, at the end of the lunch, looked in my purse for one of those reward card thingies. You know, the kind where they hole-punch the [...]

I’ve frequently found that there are many people who don’t think of themselves as mystery readers. But because there are so many different types of mysteries—police procedural, thriller, private investigator, cozies, etc.—there’s really [...]