Elise VanCise's Blog, page 2

Death to the inner critic! #atozchallenge

The Inner Critic is that voice in your head that talks to you telling you if something is worthy of appraisal or not. Everyone has one. It just seems that writers tend to be the most tortured by this voice.
That nasty little voice in our heads if we are not careful will become judge, jury, and executioner to our work.  If we allow it, that critic can shut a story down and keep us from submitting our work.  By listening to that voice in our head say things like. “That’s not really goo...

Cannon #AtoZChallenge

The wait, it was the worst part of war. Ben and his men had held their current position in the wood
since well before dawn.
Younger inexperienced soldiers were apt to get antsy, but it had been long enough in one spot the more experienced men had begun to shuffle feet. Ben dismounted his horse to walk among them.
One of the men moved his musket from left to right as he let out a nervous breath. Ben walked down the line and clasped the man’s shoulder. “Stay strong, the time is near.”
As if on que...

Blast Writer's Block

There is only one way to actually break writier's block. Write. Take an active role in getting past whatever is blocking your prose. Instead of binging on Netflix and chips try one of these ideas to get wake up your muse.
SnoopWe all have looked in someone else’s medicine cabinet, so why not your main character?  Write about what they find in there. It could be mundane everyday stuff, something tawdry, or a hidden secret.
It doesn’t have to be a medicine cabinet. He/she can look in a drawe...

A Gallant Night #AtoZChallenge

Lucinda stood in the gallery and sipped her wine as she gazed at the veduta. The landscape was timely, done in earthy oils. The artist expressed great elocution in his work. As she moved on through the gallery, to another painting. This one seemed so real, as if the man standing at the parapet could tumble out of the work.

Applause erupted as the artist raised his glass in a toast to critic Phillip Glazer. Pronounced fee-leep glass-a-er. The schmuck probably wasn’t even French. Lucinda had a...

Readers, we need YOU!

Can Readers Participate in Blogs?
Absolutely! Readers, we need YOU!
Authors Rose Kelly and Elise VanCise will be penning a continuing series together as part of the A to Z Challenge that begins on April 1st 2019.
Written by Rose Kelly in 2012 and originally titled "Torn Paper", the short, standalone piece received positive feedback and requests for the story to be continued. Rose and Elise will continue the story, now titled “Then He Was Gone”, as a series for...

Does your novel need to go on a diet?

Everyone likes big books, you can't lie... yeah, I went there. Seriously though, an author tends to write on the 'meaty' side of things during the first draft phase. We write with a ton of adverbs, repetitive nouns, prepositions, verbs, its, and and, the list goes on.

All that makes for a chubby novel. One that needs a hand to cut those extras from it's diet and trim down to a sexier sized manuscript. Yes, I know your novel isn't going to sport an itty bitty yellow polka dot bikini at the beac...

The Wall

His back was up against the wall, literally and figuratively. The rain damp brick soaked through his shirt as he pressed against the rain damp brick to peek around the corner. 

Two men skidded around the corner beyond headed in his direction unconcealed weapons in their hands. 

The alley where he stood was a dead end. He let out a slow breath and checked the clip in his gun. Empty. He leaned against the wall, his lungs burned from the run, his heart pounding in his ears, as, the footf...

Ten ways to squeeze out those creative juices

1. Eat BreakfastBreakfast really is the most important meal of the day. You don’t have to have the full meal if that’s not your thing, but try to eat something protein in the morning. Try a breakfast drink like Carnation Instant Breakfast if you’re not a regular breakfast eater. They have a low amount of calories, high protein and the right kinds of sugars to boost your brain and get those creative juices ready to work.
2. DoodleSometimes the mind needs a bit of distraction. If you come across...

Rudiarius

His blade sang as it cut through the air of the arena. The gladiator growled as its edge sank into the
flesh of his target. A soft spray of warm blood spattered his chest and arm as he turned to meet the next opponent.
 He could smell the fear of the Murmillo even though the opponent was the one to advance. His lip curled as he watched his fellow gladiator swing the trident in an effort to intimidate.
He easily stepped back from the sharp points. The trouble with pole arms and using them fo...

Quitting is never an option for writers

When life gives us lemons, as often it does, don’t be content making lemonade. Throw those sour bastards back and demand chocolate!
Don’t give into the stress and pressures going on that make us say, “I can write later.” Put your boxing gloves on and fight through it. Duck life’s left hook and counter with a powerful uppercut by finishing off that next chapter or blog post. 
Quitting a current project or giving up even temporarily is not an option. When the writing gets tough the writer ne...