Leesa Freeman's Blog, page 13

O is for Opinions

“They” say never post your opinions in your blog, you might (gasp) offend your readers. “They” say keep it neutral and upbeat and rather vanilla, and for the most part I try to follow “their” advice, but anyone who reads my stuff is going to figure out exactly where I stand on same-sex marriage, politics, [...]

N is for New Ideas

Every story idea I have I’m sure will be my last one. Do other writers feel that way? I think that uncertainty comes less from self-deprecation and more from having no idea where that inspiration comes from exactly. If we knew, we could control it (I’m kind of a control-freak, btw) and never deal with that [...]

M is for Music

I can tell you the song that was playing the first time I held hands with a boy – “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles. I can tell you the song that came on the radio and made me inexplicably cry, subsequently convincing me to take a pregnancy test with my first daughter [...]

L is for Lazy Writing

I love a good story. Twists and turns, characters that breathe on the page, a whole new world to discover and disappear into – it’s why I started reading as a little girl and why I write now. What kills me is a poorly written story where I’m supposed to just buy into the premise [...]

K is for Klutz

I can’t tell you how many books I’ve read by women, for women, about self-deprecating, mousy, and frankly annoying women. Characters who either need a good shrink or a good shake, I don’t care, but for crying out loud, by somewhere in the middle of the book I just want to shout at her to [...]

J is for Junk

I’m a word hoarder. It’s true. I’ll admit it, shamefully, and with my head hung. It’s sad, but I can’t seem to get rid of full passages – even partial passages – of writing, even when I know it’s not very good. But like my grandmother and her polyester wardrobe, I always think, “this might [...]

I is for Isolation

Everyone has their own writing style. I don’t mean voice – that’ll be a different post – but what they physically need to get into their creative zone. I, for instance, need music in the background – usually relating to either the character I’m working on or the mood I’m trying to set with a [...]

H is for How to Deal with Genres

Yesterday I talked about how I discovered my genre, which got me to thinking about all those categories and sub-genres. They’re mind-boggling, in a good way, I suppose, but mind-boggling nonetheless. And the thing is, there are so many of them and new ones are popping up so quickly that you talk to bookstore owners [...]

G is for Genre

Those in the publishing may disagree with me, but I’m pretty sure there was a time when this whole genre business was simpler. You know, back when your choices were sci-fi, horror, romance, and maybe just one or two other categories in which all books somehow fit. These days, though, it has gone a little [...]

F is for F*CK! (and other curse words)

  I’ll admit it, F*ck is my all-time favorite curse word, mainly because it’s so dang versatile. It’s descriptive: it’s f*ckin’ hot! Stub your toe: F*ck! Up near Boston they use it as a pause: “We went to the f*ckin’ store to pick up some f*ckin’ bread.” To tell someone off: F*ck you. And said [...]