I’m rapidly approaching the editing stage for my own novel, and honestly, I’m dreading it. I love editing other people’s work, but self-editing is a different beast entirely. Usually by the time a novel is finished, I’ve become so familiar with every word they start to blur together, and it’s hard for me to see … Continue reading 4 Tips for Self Editing
Meaning and mental illness
If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve probably noticed that writing is my passion and at times even my obsession. But before I became a writer, I studied to be a psychologist, because my other passion (and yes, obsession) is learning about psychology and in particular, psychopathology. Today, I’m going to take you a little … Continue reading Meaning and mental illness
Badass villains and how to write them
I’ll admit it, I love a bad guy (or girl.) Supervillains, serial killers, assassins, mob bosses, you name it. Villains rock. Whether they’re gleefully, mustache-twirlingly evil or absolutely terrifying, I adore them in all their dastardly, plot-driving glory. A good villain, a villain that I will come to love, is always complicated. Just like you … Continue reading Badass villains and how to write them
Fun ways to build characters
Even outside of the time I spend with my fingers on the keyboard, I do a lot of thinking about my characters. I’ve become the stereotypical “head in the clouds” writer who might walk right into you at the grocery store because my mind is on my stories. And most of all, on the characters … Continue reading Fun ways to build characters
What’s in my pocket? Resources for writers
As I go about my usual business wasting time on social media, I often come across excellent articles on the craft of writing and the business of publishing. Because I'm distracted by cat pictures, I tuck them away in my pocket to read later. Every so often, I like to share some of the best information … Continue reading What’s in my pocket? Resources for writers
A day in the life of an author
I've been a professional writer for about three years now. If you're curious what my typical workday looks like, I've done a guest post for Allie May at Hypergraphia. It contains, among other things, pictures of my cats, and a word I can't spell to save my life. Check it out here!
Excerpt – Light in a Dark Sky
This excerpt is from my novel in progress, Light in a Dark Sky. The book is about an artist named Nate who falls in love with Ras, a notorious crime boss. I sit on the bed in the room I'd just started to think of as mine. I stare at my desk, where a haphazard pile … Continue reading Excerpt – Light in a Dark Sky
How to describe characters: The Name of the Wind
This post is the second in a series on writing effective character descriptions. In the first post, I studied a passage from Jim Butcher’s novel Storm Front. Today, I’ll be doing a careful reading of a character description from Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind. This excerpt is from near the beginning, and describes the … Continue reading How to describe characters: The Name of the Wind
The importance of book reviews
One of my New Year's’ Resolutions for 2016 is to review more books. I’m doing this because reviews are an excellent way to support other authors, and we authors could use all the help we can get. If I love a book, I want to tell people about it, and I want the author to … Continue reading The importance of book reviews
How to overcome the writing blues
Every writer gets the blues from time to time. You know what I mean: the pervasive feeling that what you’re writing isn’t any good. Even the best writers suffer from this ailment from time to time. Self doubt is part of the process but that doesn’t mean it’s fun. When I start to really struggle … Continue reading How to overcome the writing blues
Sarah Kay Moll 