I’ve said before that the biggest moment for me in getting published was when I determined what I wanted as a writer. There are so many directions that you can follow with writing. [...]

“So, what are you working on now?” Do you mind telling people about your WIP (work in progress)? Or does it make you grit your teeth when they ask? Do you wonder why [...]

When I was a kid in the late 1970s in Anderson, South Carolina, I’d sometimes have to go to the drugstore with my mother. This was not a fun trip for me. Other [...]

I was driving back from having lunch with my husband yesterday when I saw a little tableau playing out on the side of the road. Well, the road was actually a major highway [...]

Yesterday I wrote about books and manuscripts with wooden prose and a flat delivery. Ways I thought a writer could jazz up the writing a bit were by changing the voice, revising the [...]

Have you ever run into really flat writing? It’s the kind of wooden writing you see from many non-writers. Desultory, lifeless. There’s no passion at all in it…just a straight narrative. A retelling [...]

My daughter was a little bored yesterday afternoon, so I offered to play a game with her. I didn’t want to play a long game with her (like Monopoly), and it happened that [...]

As I mentioned on Thursday, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to become a better writer. You can use your library card and get more information than you can ever [...]

Yesterday I stretched myself a little. The stretching exercise involved the garbage disposal, which spitefully kicked the bucket on New Year’s Day, following a visit by my husband’s family. I grabbed the phone [...]

I decided to make resolutions for myself in July. I needed to set some goals and that was just the time to make them. Here are my resolutions and how I fared. Originally [...]

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to become a better writer. That’s a good thing because most writers don’t have a ton of money to throw around. The library has [...]

Time for all the year-end retrospectives. I sort of like them…but sort of not. So mine is more of a recap of things I learned this year and resources I gathered. January—I discovered [...]

I’ve frequently been guilty of tunnel vision. I’m very Type A, and to me, staying the course sometimes means completing a project or train of thought. You’ve sent me a Christmas card? You’re [...]

Have you ever watched something unexpected happen? My now-8 year old daughter was a cute baby. She was roly-poly and liked singing to herself in baby babble. Her hair stuck straight up and [...]

            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 [...]

This post functions as a follow up to the last one. What if you do need your protagonist to go down into a dark basement? I think most readers agree that one thing [...]

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 [...]

Like many writers, I’m a huge fan of books. If I hear a recommendation, I’m there. The library has made it so easy for me—simply sign in online, request a book, and go [...]

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 [...]

I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable leaving my comfort zones in the last couple of years (especially concerning public speaking, signings, appearances, etc.) And then I just got satisfied with where I was. [...]

Someone wrote a wonderful post on gift wish lists and what our characters might want for Christmas. I hunted through blogs on my Google reader, but couldn’t find the link. (Getting even foggier [...]

Somewhere in the Southeast I am being unusually low tech. And probably feeling a little anxious. I’m on the Christmas tour—seeing friends and family before heading back home for the big day. My [...]

I’d promised my daughter I’d take her to the mall, one of her favorite places. I wonder sometimes if the stork brought me the wrong baby; she and I are so different. I [...]

I’m always looking for something for my 7th grade son to read. He gobbles books up instead of savoring them. And—he’s a picky reader. He’ll read 30 pages and, if he isn’t grabbed, [...]

Wednesday afternoon, my daughter finished her math homework, started her spelling, then completely lost her focus. I decided she could take a one hour play break (she’s only eight) before picking it back [...]

I think that mystery writers must have a very carefully suppressed criminal mind. Apparently I look like a really innocuous person. Plus, maybe, a little foggy. I’ve ordinarily got my mind on other [...]

I’ve always taken gender stereotypes with a grain of salt. I was tempted, even, to claim that gender roles were determined primarily by socialization and environment. Keeping this in mind (and also having [...]

The biggest moment in my writing career came with the realization that I wanted to be published by a traditional publisher. Once you realize that you really want to take that step…what do [...]

Every day the online community of writers amazes me. I get so much encouragement and inspiration from the blogs that I read and from the wonderful commenters on Mystery Writing is Murder. Among [...]

I’m getting the most interesting reader perspectives from my new book club. At first, I had no intention of joining this club. As a rule, I don’t join clubs. I’m not really sure [...]