If you’re like me, you put a lot of thought into naming characters, which is why I make these lists of names! If you have millennial characters in a U.S. based novel, story, or screenplay, you might want to give them names that were popular when they were born. Some people in older generations can occasionally forget that millennials have
Category: Writing Matters
I wrote this list of romantic scene ideas because as a romance novel editor, I often ask an author to put in another romantic scene—one in which the reader can tell the main characters are really falling in love (or already there!) I also decided to write it because lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about iconic romance scenes in
Hi, everyone! I hope your summer is treating you right so far! And if it isn’t, let’s distract ourselves with creating…that’s one of the best coping skills I know. It’s Work in Progress Wednesday, when we all share excerpts of what we’re writing! I went over the guidelines yesterday, so I won’t belabor them again. I’ll just tell you that
I write a lot of posts about developing writing skills. I share help with plotting, character development, descriptions, and much, much more. But the best skill you’ll ever learn as a writer is setting boundaries, and it’s something I’m getting much better at lately. This is such an important and difficult topic, and I hope this post helps! First, let’s
Hey, amazing authors! Today I’m going to talk about how to do front matter in a book. It’s something you need to know If you’re self-publishing for the first time…and even if you’ve self-published many books, this still may give you some new ideas! What is front matter in a book? Basically, it’s everything that goes before Chapter One. The
A few people have asked me to do a list about meet cute tropes. Given my former day job at Hallmark Publishing and my love of making lists for writers, I have to admit I’m the perfect person to do it! But first, let’s talk about the “meet cute” definition. Meet Cute – Meaning The “meet cute” is usually a
“It is too late for me to be an author?” “Have I missed my window?” “Am I too old to be a writer?” I’ve heard questions like these from people in their 70s, their 60s…and even their mid-50s. It used to surprise me. After all, becoming a writer later in life is very common. Take a look at some famous