At most author conferences and writer chats, the term GMC is prevalent. GMC=Goal/Motivation/Conflict and it’s essentially the reason for any story. What is the protagonist’s goal? What motivates him to achieve that goal? What gets in her way? In the Read more
So, I’m going to cover two different yet related topics in this post. First, I’m going to talk in general terms about the shit that flies around our genre with frightening frequency. Then, I’m going to slice and dice and Read more
When I started writing professionally, about seven years ago, I knew I was a fraud. I had zero background in writing—in fact, I was a physics major. That’s about as far left-brained as you can get. However, I had all Read more
“I have spent a good many years since–too many, I think–being ashamed about what I write. I think I was forty before I realized that almost every writer of fiction and poetry who has ever published a line has been Read more
So, this article isn’t going to be about what you think it’s about. Though, I’ll admit, I ask this question frequently of my friends – this time, I’m talking about plotting vs. pantsing. I am an organized person (it drives Read more
As authors, we tend to wrap all of our energy into writing books, doing promotion, tracking sales, putting together book tours, watching Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Whatever, etc.. It’s a full-time job, and then some. Most of us already have a full-time job that Read more