Careful Who You Kill

Hello SErs. Harmony here. My current WIP is the first time I've written first draft without doing any editing. None at all. At first, I found it tough. But by now, having reached near the end, I've seen how useful it can be ... even a life saver. Early on, a character called Jenny popped …

Friday Writing Question: Where do You Start?

Hello SErs. Harmony here. Happy Friday 🙂 Before I get to today's question, I want to tell you a joke (yeah, sorry about this) ... A guy brings a squirrel into a bar and sets the cage down. The bartender says, 'What's that?' 'A mystery writer.' 'What? That looks like a squirrel.' 'Yeah,' the guys …

How to Use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for Characterisation

Hello SErs! Harmony here. Back in December, Craig Boyack wrote an excellent post on writing medium, which you can find HERE. When I read the post, it reminded me of how I use Maslow's hierarchy of needs to help build in-depth characters. Here's what I wrote to Craig in the comments ... What you say …

Using Real Life Experiences in Fiction

Hey, SE Readers. Joan here today with more of my thoughts on writing. “Truth is stranger than fiction.” Probably everyone has heard this quote or some variation. If you google for who wrote it, you’re not likely to get a definitive answer. Some say it was Lord Byron, while others attribute the quote to Mark …

Friday Book Share: The Last Fifty Pages

Hello SErs! Harmony here. Today is the day for a book share, and I've chosen The Last Fifty Pages by James Scott Bell. Staci Troilo first put me on to this little gem of a book, and it's now on my writing shelf for easy reference. Thanks, Staci, for the heads-up on this great writing aid. The …