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Writers: How to talk about your story
The Pyromania of Writer’s Block
Watching this one writer struggle with his great idea taught me about overcoming writer's block.
When Your Characters Don’t Speak Your Language
I assumed I could get away with writing my villain's speech based on what I THOUGHT German people sounded like in the movies. I was wrong.
9 Rules for Writing Time Travel
9 story-building tips for writing time travel stories
My Query Letter Breakthrough
I think every unpublished author is seeking the magic formula to a winning query letter. I discovered mine by accident ...
Box, Wheel, and Book
I'm going to lose my cool the next time someone in a meeting tells me, "We need more out of the box thinking." Look, that phrase was innovative once upon a time. It was a new way of saying that you should strive to be original, go against the flow, look at things a different... Continue Reading →
Smells Like Synonyms
If you read how-to books on improving your writing, one trendy idea you'll encounter again and again is to "engage all 5 senses," meaning that you should include details in your descriptions for: looks, sounds, touch, taste, and smell. Smell is the killer. It's so hard to work in descriptions of smells. Jasper Fforde, in... Continue Reading →
To me, writing is like throwing cats at trees – you send a lot of random thoughts flying through the air to see what sticks.
Why cats?
To me, writing is like throwing cats at trees - you send a lot of random thoughts flying through the air to see what sticks. And, to be honest, most of it is pretty pointless. I think that's what holds so many of us back, in writing and in life. We try to find that... Continue Reading →
Kimberly Van Ginkel 