How to Cure the Sagging Middle
Originally posted on Hugs & Chocolate Subplots. There. That was easy. Oh, you want to hear the whole explanation? Fair enough. For those of you who read my personal blog, you know the obstacles I overcame to win National Novel Writing Month this year. For those of you who don’t, it was an insane combination of two kids under 3, out of town guests, and several emotional breakdowns. Yet, I would call this year’s NaNoWriMo the most successful yet and not just because I...
Read MoreWhy I Heart Scrivener for Outlining
As I prepared for National Novel Writing Month and completing the rewrite of my novel, I finally had to force myself to organize my thoughts. I had ideas littered throughout two drafts, three outlines, four notebooks, on a white board, in a couple of Scrivener files, and in emails I’d sent to myself…as well as the other random thoughts swimming in my head that I hadn’t yet had a chance to write down. Clearly this novel has changed (and hopefully grown) many times since I...
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 MoreChasing Plot Bunnies
Originally posted on Hugs & Chocolate 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...
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 MoreThe First Chapter
I’ve been working on the first chapter of my new book this week and I have to admit, it’s been so long since I’ve written one, I forgot how difficult–and even more, how important–they are. Eventually the first chapter will be the one that gets agents and readers interested in my book but right now, it has to get me interested in writing it! At this point, I don’t know my characters very well yet, and I’ve only just begun to touch the tip of my plot...
Read MoreAnalyzing Austen
Last week I pulled out my hefty Jane Austen collection (pictured below), and by hefty, I mean hefty–the thing weighs three and a half pounds. Lately I’ve felt like every book I read is just average. Boring. I wanted something I knew would enthrall me so it was time for a little Jane. Turns out she was exactly what I needed. It’s been a long time since I read a book so good that I wanted to drop everything else I’m doing to read it. I’m still an Austen n00b. I...
Read MoreI Love to Make a Scene
Throughout the month of November, in order to keep me motivated and writing at my best (despite the insane time constraints), I read Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. This book already came highly recommended by many writers, including my friends at Routines for Writers, so I knew it must be good. Well, it exceeded my expectations. There are a million books out there about writing and I’ve read…a lot of them. There are books about craft, saleability, editing, plotting, character...
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.
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