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 [...]

When I talk about writing, I usually use a sweeping statement: I love it! That’s true—sort of. Actually, I have more of a love-hate relationship with writing. A few things I don’t like: [...]

When I was a kid, there were some books that really fired up my imagination. I loved Alice in Wonderland. The White Rabbit made a huge impression on me and I remember wishing [...]

Since it’s a holiday, I thought I’d post something on the lighter side today. Recently, I had to come up with a pseudonym for myself for an upcoming project. I wish I’d found [...]

Yesterday I spent 4 1/2 hours at the roller skating rink with my second grade daughter and her friend.  They were absolutely delighted to spend the afternoon skating and I got a lot [...]

Yesterday was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 150th birthday and Conan Doyle’s greatest creation, Sherlock Holmes, is nearly as popular today as he was in the 19th century. Conan Doyle was a master at [...]

Right now I’m under a couple of tight deadlines and a little less clingy to my works-in-progress. But last year, I fiddled with my manuscript just about every waking hour (this would be [...]

I’ve mentioned on my blog before that I’m generally a fan of happy endings.  The Brady Bunch always ended happily, too—Mom and Dad had a talk with the wayward Brady child about whatever [...]

Today, I was put in a situation that I was not at all comfortable with.  In fact, I was stuck in a situation that I frequently have nightmares about. I was back in [...]

It’s funny how my perspective changed on book series when I started writing two different ones. As a reader, I was very impatient to see the next book in a series be released. [...]

Writing can be a very isolating activity.  Actually, it’s the perfect activity for an introvert (which most writers are by nature.) But most writers don’t just define themselves by their writing.  They’re also [...]

What would Edgar Allan Poe have thought about the observations this year of the 200th anniversary of his birth? I can’t help but think he would be stunned. This is a man who [...]

Most writers are avid readers, even when we can’t find enough time to do the reading we’d like to.  Since it’s a hot and summery Saturday (here in North Carolina, anyway), it seems [...]

There are lots of great stories out there about artists, inventors, and entertainers who got their best ideas through dreams.  How can I get in on this process?  Rolling Stone Magazine has an [...]

I think back to why I became a writer to begin with. It all started with a germ of an idea…multiplied by a hundred. Two hundred! Notebooks full of ideas: good ideas, rotten [...]