Computer Folder for Book 3

A. If I’m on a plane during take-off, in Starbucks expecting a friend, or in my car waiting for one of my kids, I write on paper.  I keep a notebook in my purse for such occasions, though at times I’ve been reduced to using sticky notes.  Normally, however, I do all my writing on my computer, including brainstorming, lists, notes, first drafts, and revisions.  I have different documents for stages of a book that I keep in one folder, and I… Continue reading →

I swear I’ve been here before.

I’m working with this draft of Book 3, and I’ve been revising along pretty steadily from the beginning, knocking out characters and scenes, deepening what remains, and I’ve reached a place where Gaia gets out of trouble.  She can catch her breath for a minute, which is obviously a disaster as far as writing goes.  The two of us sit back and look ahead at the next few scenes, and the links between them are simply not there.  In fact, all… Continue reading →

Lately, a fellow writer friend* asked me enviously if I’m one of those writers who has characters in my head demanding attention.  He said his characters were more likely to tell him to go watch TV and leave them alone.  It was the envy that surprised me.  It implied that writing is easier when you’re possessed by voices, like you’re just a crazy person getting paid for yielding to your psychosis.

It’s not like that.  Here’s what it’s like for me.  I have a character… Continue reading →

Suppose your character is running late. If she’s late to class, or late to her sister’s wedding, or late to see her mother on her deathbed, the stakes are different.  Suppose she needs to exit a room.  It makes a difference if she can simply walk out, or the door is locked, or the room is on fire.  Next suppose she needs to get out of a burning, locked room in time to save her mother from dying.  We’ve just raised the stakes.

Locked in.

In… Continue reading →