What Kind of Writer Are You?
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 this year, I decided to not only set...
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 MoreThe Day I Decided to Quit Writing
Earlier this week, I decided to quit writing. Things in my personal life had come to a breaking point and trying to find time to write only seemed to be making it worse. A couple of my writing friends blogged about how negative people can be to one another, bringing up those old fears of publishing. And, worst of all, my story was falling apart. Have you ever gotten to that point when everything you thought you knew about your novel seemed completely wrong? I’m sure everyone who has...
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 MoreTV Shows: A Writer’s Teaching Tool
I think it takes a writer to truly appreciate a good story. Or at least, to appreciate what goes into creating a good story. There are so many working parts that when they lock together flawlessly we shouldn’t see the pieces of the puzzle but a writer’s eye is a trained eye. A typical viewer or reader will know they love a story but a writer will know why. Writers can’t help but analyze every story they read or watch. Sometimes its to our own detriment but other times, this...
Read MoreFalling in Love With Your Characters
Think about your favorite fictional character. In particular, your favorite fictional character of the opposite sex. Let’s use Twilight for example because who hasn’t chosen a side? So, picture Edward or, for the cooler people out there, Jacob. Think about his smile, his hair, his perfectly toned body. Is your heart pumping a little harder? Would you say that in some way (not in the logical or realistic way, of course, but in some way) you’re a little in love with him? ...
Read MoreWhat Comes First–The Character or the Plot?
Brainstorming often seems to be the favorite part of writing for most writers I happen across. This is where the ideas come out, the aha! moments happen and where it feels more like fun than work. Oddly enough, I’m one of those writers who prefers to get down to business and watch all those big ideas come to life in all the little moments. But to get there, I still have to brainstorm. I think the hardest part for me is where to start. I have all these ideas and snippets of information...
Read MoreWherein Lies the Problem?
I’m sad to report that I haven’t made any progress since last week. Still busy, still lacking motivation to work on my story. But just because I haven’t been writing doesn’t mean my mind hasn’t been going over the story in my head, trying to figure out where my wrong turn was. At 60,000 words, I’m now five-thousand words further on my rewrite than my first draft and I admit wholeheartedly that the story has made a ton of progress since the first time...
Read MoreJamie Raintree
Jamie writes what she likes to call everyday fairytale love stories, featuring the little moments in life that are truly magical. She lives in Northern Arizona with her husband and daughter and is currently editing her second novel.
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