Useful Writing Tools

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. You’ve probably heard the terms planner, plotter, and panster. Some writers must have a detailed outline before writing the first word of a novel. Others write by the seat of their pants and let the story (or characters) determine what happens. I’m somewhere between. When I begin a …

A trick that works

Hi gang, Craig with you again. I’ve been toying with something I think you’ll be interested in. First you get some background. When I started writing I used to play classical music in the background. I can’t handle anything with vocals or I won’t focus on the task at hand. This worked well for about …

Avoiding Insensitivity in Characters or Story

Hi SEers, John here with you again. Today I want to discuss authorship in light of the changing environment within our social framework. What do I mean by that statement? Well, to put it bluntly, I think it is time to take a look at how we write characters and stories in an atmosphere of …

Picture It, Portray It, Pen It

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today. Do you ever struggle with describing a character’s emotions or how they would react in a particular situation? I do. Even though I have several reference books, at times I feel as if I keep repeating the same thing—an arched brow for surprise, a pricking sensation for fear, …

Writing Motivation Ideas for Using or for Laughing

Hi SEers, it’s John with you again. As you know from some of my past posts, I’m always trying to think of ways to suggest staying motivated as a writer. It’s not that I believe writers aren’t motivated, but sometimes our attention gets drawn to other things, and we have to get back on track. …