The first verse novel I ever read and loved was Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. The second (four years later, in 2003) was Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. But in between those two, I read a lot I hated. And I’ve read more since then that I thought were just banal, chopped-up prose. It was hard to complain about them, though, because I didn’t really know what a verse novel was “supposed to be”. However, in the past 6 months I’ve had to tackle this question in considerable depth, because … [Read more...]

Flannigan writes: When is it plagiarism? Recently, I was getting on with my writing, and I was doing well, too. Getting the words in, doing something different. Inspiration poured from books I’d read and things I’d seen. It was fun. I was having a laugh. But I missed reading. So I’d decide well, I can do both. So every day, I’d read a chapter of my book, and then write a bit. I’d write, read, write, read, write, read. It got to the point where I was reading a chapter of a … [Read more...]

You might be writing something set in the present day, in your home town or city, and feel you have no need of research. But today’s readers are drawn to stories with details and descriptions that feel authentic and that can be visualized – it’s part of the way our culture has become so much more visual. While I’ve written a number of historical novels now, and honed my research skills through trial and error, I’ve also come to realize that even my contemporary stories improve with … [Read more...]

Today, it's your turn. Ask me a question about anything to do with writing, critiquing, editing or publishing! If it's straightforward to answer, I'll compile some questions and answers and put them in a post. If the answer needs a whole blog post, I'll do that, too. If you don't want to post in the comments section here, feel free to email me at sherryl (at) ebooks4writers (dot) com. Join in the discussion! … [Read more...]

Recently I’ve critiqued several fiction works that were at least partially (if not completely) based on the author’s own experiences. We all do this, of course. We give our characters our own reactions to terrible and wonderful things, we use our memories of events and people to create action and character, and we even use overheard or remembered conversations as a basis for our dialogue. In other words, every fiction writer uses snippets in different ways. But when you write something … [Read more...]

Over on my other blog, I've been writing about solitude and how much we writers need it. Not just for writing, but for thinking and dreaming. Yet so often this needs to begin with your physical space. Some writers are lucky to have a whole room for themselves, away from the household and the general noise. I know a few who rent writing rooms in community spaces, and some who write in cafes and public places. At home, a writing space/place can be an issue when you share with others and there … [Read more...]

Over on my other blog, I've been reporting on a recent challenge I undertook. Simply, it was to write for 30 minutes every day for 28 days. The second part of this was to have at least one accountability partner, and check in with them when you had done your 30. So this is how you do it: * Find at least one accountability partner. They don't have to be a writer, although I think this helps. They can choose to do their 30 minutes as walking, or meditation, or practising the piano. * … [Read more...]

When I first started writing, I think the percentage of my work that was “worth publishing” was pretty close to zero. Isn’t that true of most writers? We start tentatively putting words on the page, unsure if we are communicating effectively even with ourselves, let alone any outside audience. We might have a burning story to tell, but however much it burns inside of us, our audience won’t be interested in reading it until our writing abilities and skills have improved enough. What is … [Read more...]

Every year I like to start thinking about my goals on the 1st of January. Call me silly! But it's psychological, and it works for me. However, notice that I only said "thinking". I don't rush in and make a whole huge list of new goals and expect them to be half-completed by the end of January, because that's not reasonable. A big factor is something called rest. After working hard all year, I've decided that the first half of January needs to involve lots of rest, recreational reading and … [Read more...]

People can quote opening sentences from novels. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. “ “Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last.” You may well think – so what? These are like proverbs or pithy quotes. We remember them because they strike a chord. But your first sentence, if it’s a real winner (or a hook, or startling in some … [Read more...]