Watching this one writer struggle with his great idea taught me about overcoming writer's block.
The Pyromania of 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I think every unpublished author is seeking the magic formula to a winning query letter.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 