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
Tag: writing
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
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
Rocky Mountain Blues
Today I'm being featured by Quill Writers, who have posted a little science fiction piece I've written. It's a glimpse into the sci-fi novel I've got in the works, which takes place in a futuristic Denver, Colorado. It goes a little something...like this: The street was both dingy and brilliant at once, the sprawl in the … Continue reading Rocky Mountain Blues
10 ways to break through writer’s block
I’m convinced every writer suffers from some amount of writer’s block now and again. A serious writer isn’t someone who never gets blocked, but rather someone who fights through it. If you’re feeling blocked, here are ten strategies I like to use to get the words flowing again. 1. Step back and read some or … Continue reading 10 ways to break through writer’s block
How to NaNo like a boss in 5 easy steps
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and refers to a group of over 300,000 writers who engage in a yearly writing endeavor, the goal of which is to write 50,000 words in a month. Although the word count is the flashiest thing about NaNo, it’s really a way to celebrate stories and writing, and … Continue reading How to NaNo like a boss in 5 easy steps
4 pitfalls to avoid when writing about mental illness
Writing characters with mental illnesses can be a challenge. Authors must do some amount of research to be sure they’re representing the experience in a compassionate, honest, and believable way. Here are five things to keep in mind when writing mental illness. 1. Avoid a magical recovery Books and movies about mental illness often end the same … Continue reading 4 pitfalls to avoid when writing about mental illness
Portraying character in fiction: Lessons from J. Alfred Prufrock
Instead of dissecting the symbolism and thematic significance of a poem, this series is meant to be a practical discussion of what fiction writers can learn from poetry. Because a poem uses so few words, each word must be meaningful and carefully chosen to have the impact the poet desires. In The Love Song of … Continue reading Portraying character in fiction: Lessons from J. Alfred Prufrock
What’s in my pocket? Resources for writers!
As I go about my days, I come across a plethora of helpful articles on writing and the publishing industry. I use a handy app called Pocket to save them all for when I get a chance to sit down and read them. Every so often I like to share the resources I’ve found. Here … Continue reading What’s in my pocket? Resources for writers!
How do I write effective character descriptions? (part 1)
Creating effective character descriptions can be difficult. You can bore the reader with too much description, but if it’s used effectively, it can be a powerful tool. In this example, Jim Butcher uses character description to build tension, illuminate his characters, set a consistent tone for the novel, and tell us about the protagonist. This … Continue reading How do I write effective character descriptions? (part 1)
Sarah Kay Moll 