The Hero’s Journey can be a powerful plotting framework for genre fiction. For more than a year, I’ve been teaching workshops on it, and in July, at the Harriette Austin Writers Conference, I expanded the workshop, folded in material about … Continue reading
Category Archives: Craft of writing
Early 10 September, I set out from Raleigh in a rental car — didn’t want to put my poor, old Honda through the rigors of the Eastern Continental Divide again — and arrived in Boone, NC in good time for … Continue reading
I’m about 80% completed with the first draft of Regulated for Murder, taking a break today to guest-blog on Meanderings and Muses. If you’ve ever wondered what crazy lengths writers of mysteries, suspense, and thrillers go through to conduct research, … Continue reading
During the Friday morning rush hour, the Metro was packed. Sardine cans. On my first attempt to climb into a car, the work-bound barbarians repelled boarders. The next train was just as stuffed, but I was darned if I was … Continue reading
The first two weeks of April, I took Laurie Schnebly Campbell’s online course on writing query letters. This was my third online course this year — part of my personal commitment to expand my knowledge about the business and craft … Continue reading
The Anson County Writers’ Club, South Piedmont Community College, and the Carolina Romance Writers teamed up to present the Carolina Writers’ Conference on Saturday 4 April at the Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro, NC. For their first conference, they did a … Continue reading
During March, I took an online course taught by Margie Lawson. “Empowering Characters’ Emotions” is designed to help a writer add psychological power to her writing, improve the pacing, and hook the reader viscerally. Here are the highlights: Basics of … Continue reading
Here’s a fun little slice of history. In early 1781, General Nathanael Greene and his army retreated across the Dan River into Virginia ahead of the pursuing Crown forces in North Carolina commanded by Charles, Lord Cornwallis. The famous “Race … Continue reading
This week’s assignment for Kris Neri’s class is writing the dust jacket blurb. In her lecture, Kris gives a number of examples and points out that all good blurbs contain the following elements: Introduction Triggering action Complication Hook Here’s the … Continue reading
Q1 2009, I’m writing the first draft of Regulated for Murder, book five of my series. I’m also taking two online courses and participating in the Chocolate Challenge. Kris Neri’s online course runs through the end of February. “Mystery and … Continue reading