The Write Focus

In the first four episodes of this series, The Write Focus shared how to defeat the three-headed monster called Writer’s Block. When we research the topic, we find articles that claim 5 types or 10 types of Writer’s...

Writer’s Block looms like a sharp-clawed monster over every writer. A daily discipline—No Day without Lines—is extremely helpful, no matter how many you schedule for a particular day. Nulla Dies Sine Linea is our...

Defeating Writer’s Block is easy to say, not so easy to do. We writers have to discover the problem we’re having with those pesky little words. 1st, we have to find those pesky words—and they do like to hide. 2nd, we...

Hey! Our claim is that Writer’s Block doesn’t exist? And you say, “I don’t believe it. I’m blocked. I’m suffering with Writer’s Block.” Believe it or not, the truth is that Writer’s Block does NOT exist. Not. No way...

Can you name a phrase that every writer fears? Try “Writer’s Block”. We writers all have a deep-seated fear when we hear those two words side by side. Writer’s Block—those should be forbidden to speak together. We have...

Writing is a Business. Yes, it is a creative endeavor … with a business result. I do not like to call my writing a Product. I think in projects, not products. Yet each blog post, short story, flash fiction, novel...

Plan your Work, & Work your Plan. Back at Quick Tip 14 we talked about overcoming difficulties by setting work deadlines, using math skills to determine the number of writing days and how that time will fit into the...

Tackling the next book requires three sets of seven. The Plot 7 determines the conflict that will drive the story. 7 Character Sets will develop the story’s heart and mind. Our focus in this segment will be the 7...

As with the seven scenes that build the story, introduced in the last segment, seven character sets develop the story, increasing the conflict, intensifying suspense or adding complications. The four main characters who...

In considering your next writing, what is your first approach? Many start with a situation: a thriller in the backwoods. Others start with character: a free-willing type faced with his two orphaned nieces. Or you wake...

Overcoming difficulties is a constant process, no matter which profession you enter. All my guidebooks on writing contain insights that I wish I had understood then. Instead, I nodded along, thinking I understood, but I...

Alice followed the White Rabbit into a hole that dropped her into a strange world. Writing is like that, a hole into a strange wonderland. A project is an intriguing white rabbit luring us to follow even as it reminds...

Consider your Cover is Quick Tip #12. One of the greatest expenses that an indie writer will have is the cost of a professional cover. Yes, yes, people say that the editorial cost is the highest one. Development editors...

Writing constantly, writing fast ~ these can outpace our creativity, leaving us drained. The answer is to Juggle Projects. I cannot simultaneously write two fiction projects; the projects we juggle have to be different...

“Cocoons” is the Quick Tip for Writing in this episode. When the words do not come as soon as we are ready to write, what can we do? We have to think like inchworms, the ones that eventually become beautiful...