L.M. Nelson's Blog, page 34

Author Confessions Round 9

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I’m a panster when I write.  I don’t outline, don’t use storyboards, and don’t formula write. I have a sense of where I want to start and I know what direction I’m going, but I let my characters lead me there. As a seat of your pants writer, I don’t pre-plan character names either. I usually choose a name I like from an online baby name book, use a name I’ve heard before or some variation of it, or pick the first name that pops into my head that has a nice ring to it.  Later, when I’m revising, if I decide the name doesn’t fit the character’s personality, I change it to something more suitable.

Author Confessions Round 8

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I am all about character. Characters can either make or break a book for me. Good storylines and exciting scenes are worthless if the characters have no depth, are unrelatable, or I just don’t give a crap about them. Good character development is not easy to do. As a writer, I have to get into my characters’ heads, know how they think, and how they react in certain situations. I walk with them and let them drive the story. Readers have to experience that journey as well. Flat characters ruin good stories. As a reader, if I don’t have an emotional connection with the characters, the story isn’t worth reading.

Author Confessions Round 7

Author confessions day seven-How long have you been writing your WIP?

I started writing the Scrubs series eons [image error]ago, but never did anything with it. I wrote it for myself simply because I love to write. The last book in the series, the one I’m currently working on, I started writing five or six years ago. It took me four years to finish it. Once I was done with the final book, I sat on it for a while because I was working on cutting, revising, and cleaning up the other books in the series to get them ready for publication. I returned to this book in November of 2016, after I was done revising and editing the other three.

The Scrubs series has been a part of my life for the last twenty years. As excited as I am to be nearly finished with it, I’m a bit sad to say goodbye to the characters who have consumed my life for so many years. The good thing is I have other characters who are now speaking to me, begging me to tell their story.

11 Ways Writing Improves Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

This is a guest post by Sierra Delarosa. Sierra is a freelance writer, musician and content writer for Global English Editing. 11 Science-Backed Ways Writing Improves Your Mind, Body, and Spirit For many of us, writing is a practical tool. We use it to communicate our thoughts, ideas, and experiences with other people, usually through email […]

via 11 Ways Writing Improves Your Mind, Body and Spirit — Nicholas C. Rossis

35 Things You Don’t See When You Buy A Book

A LOT goes into writing a book. Much more than the reader ever sees.

BlondeWriteMore

The idea for this post came to me after I did some research on the ‘overnight literary success myth.’  I have always been intrigued by the term and the notion that success JUST happens to authors. Surely there is more to overnight literary fame than meets the eye?  Once you type this myth into Google you can expect to see an array of interesting articles and blog posts on the subject.

This research into the myth of authors being hailed as ‘overnight literary successes’ led me onto the iceberg” cliché, which I found in a fab article. It was an article from the Huffington Post:

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The Sweat and Tears in Writing

Writing the story is only the beginning.

A Writer's Path

by Jordan Jolley

If you devote time for the quality of your story, then your book’s potential can go far.

There are two very common questions people ask me: “How long did it take you to write your first book?” and “Are you done with your second book?”

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10 Reasons that will Encourage you to Read (1 min read)

Great article about the benefits of reading. As an educator, I know how important reading is for a child’s creativity, academic achievement, and vocabulary development. Reading has many benefits for adults too.

Millionaire's Digest

Written By Millionaire’s Digest Team Member: Pradeep Shrivastava

Founder & Owner of: Pradeep Shrivastava

Millionaire’s Digest Team, Contributor, Blogging, Books, Entertainment, Family & Life, Successful Living Writer and Writing Writer

Reading has many benefits; here are 10 reasons which should encourage you to read.

1. Vocabulary: When you read an article or a book you may come across a new word(s) or a different usage of a word you are already familiar with.

2. Creativity: Unlike a TV serial or a movie, reading will make you think.

3. Pleasure: A good book or article is as enjoyable as a game of baseball.

4. History: Other than history books we can also learn historical facts by reading biography/autobiography or by reading books or novels set in a particular period or era.

5. News and Information: Magazines and newspapers not only keep us updated about…

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Author Confessions Round 6

Day seven of author confessions- What word do you use way too much?

This question makes me laugh because I have many words I use too often–looked, [image error]laughed, smiled. When I write a draft, the main purpose is to get the story on paper. Revising and editing, along with the many writing resources I own, clean up the writing and allow me to insert or change words and phrases into something more descriptive and fluid. That stage takes a long time only because I try to express character actions and feelings in creative ways without using unnecessary vocabulary or losing my unique writing voice.

Author Confessions Round 5

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Day five- Describe your main character in three words.

Benevolent. Multi-talented. Energetic.

Author Confessions Round 4

Day four of author confessions-How did you choose your genre?

[image error]I write in multiple genres.  My series is a mix of new adult/ college fiction, medical fiction, sports fiction, and romance. I also write poetry and have two WIPs, one is YA fantasy and the other is crime fiction. An action/ adventure book is brewing in my head and I’m conjuring up a romantic crime novel.

I didn’t choose my genres.  They chose me.  I write whatever pops into my head and later find a genre to put it in.