If you have a website, a blog, a tumblr, or an Instagram account that you approach in a semi-professional or artistic way, you might want to figure out your brand colors or create a personal color palette. It can tie everything together, make design decisions easier, and convey who you are. I’m not a designer, and I know some of
On Saturday I worked on my novel-in-progress for hours, and then we went to the beach. I’ve written about this before, but sometimes I have trouble taking a break and going to a park or the beach, and I’m always glad when I do it. Honestly, for me, connecting with nature is a key to happiness. It’s easy
Hi friends! Welcome to another WIP Wednesday—the first Wednesday of the month, when I share an excerpt of a work in progress and invite you to do the same in the comments. It’s fine if it’s rough. That’s the “in progress” part! We don’t critique anything, though a kind word is always welcome. Please keep your excerpt under 500 words
In my day job in publishing, whenever we’re discussing a new story, one thing we’re often asking is, “What’s the character arc?” (It’s also a reason we pass on a lot of stories: “I don’t understand his arc.”) Without a strong character arc, the reader (or the editor) may be left thinking, “So what? Why should I care?” Simply put, the
On the morning of June 25, 2014, I had an early morning surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. The surgeon took out my left kidney and put it in a container that looked like a beer cooler. It was sent to the greater San Diego area and put in a man who was suffering from late-stage kidney disease.
My novel The Equinox Stone features a hero who suffers from retrograde amnesia. Because I wanted to do a good job writing about amnesia, I did a lot of research on types of amnesia, symptoms, treatment, and causes (even though in my character’s case, the cause is not something that could ever happen in real life. I hope.) I hope
I always like sharing journal ideas when I come up with ones that work for me. More people than ever are journaling, and it’s no wonder: it’s good for both mental health and creativity. It can give us ways to deal with low-self esteem, fears, and negative thinking, and open up the door to new ideas. I even found these