One of my favorite panels from DV Con was about voice. The presenters brought up many powerful points. They mentioned questions to ask about your main character (MC). Preferably, you'd ask these questions before you begin writing. But if you're like me, you don't know your characters as well on the first draft, so this … Continue reading 3 questions to build your characters’ voices
Tag: pay
The pay gap never left (haiku)
Just eighty-one centsTo your full-grown dollar billShuffled beneath you Copyright © Robin LeeAnn
First lines given – #4
Welcome to First Lines Given! If that sentence confuses you, here's a link to where I explain what this is. Today's first line is by LJ! She said: Love the imagery in this one. Here's the result: I looked out the window at the rain trickling down the glass. The droplets raced each other down. … Continue reading First lines given – #4
Common writing mistakes #5
#5 — Misusing hyphens Besides the gray with an a vs. grey with an e battle, there's one common spelling error I've often noticed while editing: hyphenated words. Sometimes we believe a word needs a hyphen when it doesn't. Or we forget the hyphen when we actually need one. It could also depend on how … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #5
Turning out
“He’ll scour the land for you,” society told me.They always whispered delicate words.“He’ll turn over every single stoneUntil he finds you, his one and only.” But boys didn’t even turn my way.They kept their eyes pinned onto the girlsWho change everything they canTo make themselves stars in the skies. Do I need my own spinning … Continue reading Turning out
Common writing mistakes #1
#1 — Using multiple adjectives "The house on the hill was old, broken, and abandoned. I always passed it on my way home. It stared back at me with its empty, death-glaring eyes." Adjectives help, but too many of them back-to-back can weigh down a story. It sounds more like a bumpy ride on a … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #1
How a doctor’s appointment helped me think about marketing
My phone buzzed. Reminder: your doctor’s appointment is scheduled for tomorrow, March 27th, at 2:00 p.m. I nodded along, half paying attention. I already had two different reminders from my wall calendars. I opened up another tab on Google Chrome when my laptop dinged. Doctor’s appointment is tomorrow. Thanks. My laptop ran slow though since … Continue reading How a doctor’s appointment helped me think about marketing
Quiet now, pay attention
My university is always quiet when people leave and that’s when you notice things. You’ll find broken, empty branches, hiding behind the leaves. Or the discolored rock that has been there for at least five years and will be there for another ten. You’ll notice black paint peeling off the railing because the school only … Continue reading Quiet now, pay attention
Is having too many projects bad?
I might work on too many projects. I have a novel and a novella in progress, editing away. I also edit on different critique sites like Critique Circle. I edit my query, and I also edit other queries so they may glance over mine. I'm trying to write more to get a small publication as well. … Continue reading Is having too many projects bad?
11 editing tips from a professional
At the ACES conference, one session had many editing tips for editors and writers. Here are some: Check all quotations (to see if it is a verified source) Don't ignore your inner voice (when it says something's wrong) Omit needless words Favor active voice (because we need passive voice sometimes) Edit out loud Advice is … Continue reading 11 editing tips from a professional
Robin LeeAnn 