All fictitious stories, short or long, have five elements in common. Without one of these five foundations, your story will fall flat, like a house built on sand. It’s important to know and use these so your story will make the reader satisfied, wanting to read more. ~ Character ~Setting ~Conflict ~Plot ~Solution When writing […]
Tucson, where cactus grows, cowboys live, and Diamondbacks are revered. You pack sunscreen and sandals. But it’s a blizzard outside your window. Rain. Snow. Howling wind. Plummeting temperatures. Do you pack your parka or a light sweater? Cool mornings and evenings. Hot days. When you return home it’s back to frigid temperatures. How do you […]
I just hit the send button for a national short fiction contest. Whew. Re-writers are complete. I decided to take the last two chapters of an unpublished novel and see if I could rework it for this short fiction contest. With changes, it worked. Here is what I had to cut and edit to make this piece […]
It was six weeks when I heard back from a publisher about my latest work-in-progress. Waiting to hear back from a publisher tests not only one’s patience but self-esteem, too. While waiting and soaking in my lesson in patience, biting my fingernails, I was hunkered down under my fair tent as rain tumbled down during […]
I used to hate editing. Now I love it! Due to Jerry Jenkins and his ferocious editing techniques (I am currently a founding member in the Jerry Jenkins Writer’s Guild), Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King, Revision and Self-Editing or Publication by James Scott Bell, and Doctor Dennis Hensley I have […]
Have you ever thought your book, essay or short story was complete, just the way it should be? I have. Until an expert laid her eyes on it. My current young adult novel places my female character, a young Okanogan Native American jockey, on the ledge of the World Famous Suicide Race hill in Omak, […]
A mixture of relief, anxiety and sadness flooded me as I sat in my superintendence’s office last week. With tears running down my cheeks, I simply said, “I’m done. Because of health issues and my need to be with my husband (He works in a town two hours away and stays there during the week.) […]
From the onset of my work-in-progress, I have wanted to find a teen artist to portray my protagonist’s art project in the book I’m currently writing. The art project weaves history and the old ways into modern culture and attitudes. He or she needed to be Native American and preferably of the Colville Tribes. […]
Saturday, March 12, from 11:00 to 1:00 Paty Jager and I will be at …And Books, Too! and present how we have incorporated American Indian life into fiction. I will share about two Native American ladies who have either taught or inspired me and how they influenced my writing. One was my mentor. The other I’ve never […]
A Writer’s Inspiration. Character’s come alive to writers in their imaginations, as do plot and theme. But at times, it can be a big challenge to keep everything straight. Computer programs for authors to keep track of scenes and charts for characters are available at the writer’s fingertips, but I got hooked on character […]