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How to Force a Story to Evolve: 6 Revision Tips

Collection of butterflies and chrysalises

*Quick Reminder: Don’t forget the Pitch Your Shorts pitch session coming January 10th.  Get your 10-60K stories ready.  More details to come.* I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, no matter what holidays you celebrate.  While I’m enjoying some time with my family, I’ll share this post originally written […]

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December 27, 2011

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What Is the Internet Missing?

Set of number blocks with number 3 missing

That seems like an odd question, doesn’t it?  After all, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out Google knew what I had for lunch on Wednesday five weeks ago. In fact, computers and the internet have captured so much information that we sometimes don’t want to memorize facts, figuring we’ll Google […]

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December 13, 2011

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How to Squeeze the Most out of Scenes

Cartoon graphic of woman's brain being squeezed in a vise grip

Whether we’re a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between, we all eventually have to take the time and make our scenes the best they can be.  This week I have a guest post at the Girls With Pens blog on how to do that. (Edited to redirect link, as GWP has shut down.) […]

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December 6, 2011

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What Writing Skill Do You Suck At?

School paper with a failing grade of "F"

That’s right.  I’m asking you to expose your biggest weakness.  *locks the door so no one can escape*  *evil grin* We all have weaknesses.  I’m one of the biggest perfectionists around, but that doesn’t prevent me from having oodles of imperfections.  It’s only by knowing where we need more work […]

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December 1, 2011

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Done! How Do You Celebrate?

Rocks and shells spelling out "END" on a beach

I finished the first draft of another WIP (work in progress) on Monday.  Guess how I celebrated?  *cringes*  Uh, yeah…I did nothing. Yes, it was too late to go out for a celebratory dinner.  And yes, I have a lot of editing to do.  But shouldn’t I have done something?  Sure, […]

November 17, 2011

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Can You “Fast Draft”?

Draft stamp

Several writers I know have recently tried the “Fast Draft” method.  What is the Fast Draft method?  Fast drafting entails getting the framework of our stories down as fast as possible—without worrying what that draft looks like. Author Candace Havens says it’s possible to complete a first draft in two weeks. […]

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November 8, 2011

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How Bad Is Plagiarism?

Broken doorknob from a forced entry crime

(Read below for updates.) Recently, a thief broke into my brother’s house.  They weren’t home, so no one was physically hurt.  However, the shock of the crime still caused emotional pain. The thief didn’t take too much, mostly just small things he could carry, but now they wonder if the […]

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October 18, 2011

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What Comes After a First Draft?

A baby's hand on an adult hand

Last week, we talked about how stories change from the initial story seed to the first draft.  Then it dawned on me that I’ve experienced that same evolution between a first draft and a finished draft, where so much changed that I hardly recognized the original story any more. For fun, […]

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September 20, 2011

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Do You Write for Yourself or Your Readers?

Empty seats in a stadium

Many writers, especially new ones, talk about how they write for themselves.  When we first start out, we might not know if we’ll even be able to finish the project, so it makes sense that we’re writing for ourselves. We want to get this story out of our head.  We want to […]

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August 25, 2011

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Have You Ever Been Interviewed?

Close-up of a professional microphone

Today I’m being interviewed at two different blogs.  This is only the second time I’ve done interviews for my writing, but I’ve decided I really enjoy them. I don’t mean that in a narcissistic, oh-I’m-so-important way.  Rather, I get a kick out of seeing what other people ask about.  For […]

August 18, 2011

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