Chasing Plot Bunnies
For writers, ideas are prevalent when we open our minds to them. Every time we come into contact with another human being, watch a TV show or movie, read a book, or let our minds wander, ideas pour in whether we realize it or not. And for every story that is told, there are a thousand other ways it could have been told–a thousand more ideas. Sometimes I’ll even sit down with the intention of coming up with an idea that is unique (or as unique as any idea can be in this day and...
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 Story Locations
While preparing for the second draft of my WIP, I finally had to face the fact that my fantasy was about to become a reality. It was time to create timelines, fact check and do research to make sure all my ideas lined up with the possibilities of real life. I had a concern about the location of my story and whether or not it’s weather was in line with the ideas I had for my plot. Since I’ve only been to my story’s location once in my life, for just a few days (and while my...
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 MoreFor NaNoWriMo, Keep It Simple
National Novel Writing Month is only a few days away and with such a big project looming, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. How do you even begin to figure out your characters’ motivation, determine your plot structure, create other worlds and research the facts that will make your story tick? The answer is simple: you don’t. Even I, the OCD planner, have been turning away from writing advice because I don’t want all that information swirling around in my head, nagging...
Read MoreDon’t Look Back
With a mere ten days until NaNoWriMo, I have my outline about done, almost complete character sheets and a coffee shop in my kitchen (the most important part, of course). I also have three newbies that I’ve agreed to mentor. A few days ago, I was talking to one of my newbies and she brought up a tip that I definitely should have included in my NaNoWriMo tips but since it’s become so natural for me, I’d completely forgotten. Nevermind, though, because it deserves a post of...
Read MoreThe Creative Process
Writing is a process; albeit, a creative one, but it is still a process. Being creative, it’s different for everyone. Some people can sit down and start writing without any forethought while others plan everything down to the minute details before writing a single word. Writing my last novel has taught me a lot about the process that works best for me. I started out with very little planning and just started writing at first. As organized as I am, outlining didn’t appeal to me. ...
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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