Stepping into POV
Originally posted on Hugs & Chocolate “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” — Roger Miller Today I’d like to talk about point-of-view, something that has always been highly important to me and something that has evolved in my writing over the years. For those of you who have read my stories, you know I like to dig my heels deeply into my characters’ hearts, set up camp, and then invite you in for a hot cup of coffee. It’s the best seat in the...
Read MoreWhy Character Archetypes Aren’t Just About Commercialism
Originally Posted on Hugs & Chocolate I’ve said it time and again but I’ll say it once more: I am a student of human nature. I’m sure, as writers, that’s something we all share. By ten years of age, I had already given up my seat at the kid’s table at family events to get involved in the gossip and philosophizing at the adult table. I soaked it all in, which is probably what drove me to write in the first place. My novels are a place for me to understand...
Read MoreHow Reading is Important to Writing
Originally posted on Hugs & Chocolate In On Writing Stephen King said, “if you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” Clearly, Stephen King wasn’t nursing a baby twice a night and taking a toddler to the ER for stitches. These days, our responsibilities are endless. Most days, I don’t have the luxury for both reading and writing, and for a girl who has dreams of publishing one day, the writing has to get done. Even so, I have been...
Read MoreIt Takes a Village
Originally posted on Hugs & Chocolate Back when storytelling first began, it took a community to write a tale. One person started it and told it to another, to groups over a fire. It got passed on to friends and family members, generation after generation. Each time the story met new ears, the telling got smoother. Each person augmented it with their own knowledge, improved it with their own experiences. And now, those timeless stories are the flawless fairytales and legends we know...
Read MoreLetting the Story Lead
Originally posted on Hugs & Chocolate In this age we live in, productivity is the name of the game. We take hold of our stories by the balls and get them written now, get them written right, and get them out the door. I don’t know about you, but to me, this is intimidating. I read blogs all the time about authors who write several books a year when I can barely finish one over two years. When writing that quickly, there seems to be so little time to let the story grow organically...
Read MoreWriting Character Flaws, Improving Myself
I’ve been falling back into my writing groove lately. We’re pretty settled into our house now and getting used to life as a family of four. In my new town, I immediately reached out to other writers and was so lucky to connect with two very talented women I now meet with once a week. We give each other deadlines to encourage weekly progress and then we exchange work and give feedback. That day is my favorite day of the week, not only because it’s the only time I get out of...
Read MoreYour Character’s Manifesto
Last night, I finished reading The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells. It was a fun but deep book that left me thinking about the characters long after the book was over. It’s always so few and far between that a book holds my attention all the way to the end, which is quite possibly the best experience in the world. In The Summer of Skinny Dipping, the characters felt real–believable, relatable and well-rounded. As someone who is always looking to make her characters feel...
Read MoreWhat Kind of Writer Are You?
Originally posted on Hugs & Chocolate I’m in a place in my writing career where I’m spending a lot of time trying to understand exactly who I am as a writer. What genre do I write? Who is my audience? Am I writing to send a message or for entertainment? Maybe you’ve asked yourself these questions from time to time. I think we all have. But a couple of weeks ago, I came across a question I hadn’t even thought to ask. When setting my goals at the beginning of...
Read More1,000 Ideas in an Hour
My first order of business once I decided to focus on character building this year was to go online and shop for a character-building book. I am locationally challenged when it come to educational opportunities and right now, even an online class would be difficult to commit to. But writing craft books are great because I can pick them up whenever I have a few spare moments to get inspired. I had never heard of Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card before but the reviews on Amazon...
Read MoreResearching Character Emotions
In the genre I write (something of the romance/women’s fiction variety) there isn’t much research involved. I don’t need to understand police procedures like mystery writers do and I don’t need to know how people dressed in England in the 15th Century like historical fiction authors. The most important thing I need to grasp to write my novels is relationships and, in a sense, I research that every day in my own experiences and observations. Other than geographical...
Read MoreJamie Raintree
I write Women's Fiction, or what I like to call everyday fairytale love stories, appreciating the seemingly mundane moments in life that are truly magical. I am currently working on completing my first novel and until then, I post original fiction online. I live in Northern Colorado with my husband and two young daughters.
Newsletter
 |  |
 |  |