L.Z. Marie's Blog, page 2
March 27, 2016
Weird Words for Writing Problems
Words you never heard to explain your writing problems. Warning: Nerd alert ahead!!! Writing is easy, except when it’s not. Writer’s block is just the tip of the iceberg. Below are 16 other problems writers struggle with. So in case … Continue reading →
February 28, 2016
To The Writers, Too Much Waste of Time
It was one of those weeks when I read lots of status updates and tweets about writers napping, Netflix binging, and being sent to Facebook jail Maybe all these updates get me testy because I don’t have the luxury of … Continue reading →
February 21, 2016
Zen and The Art of Manuscript Maintenance
Writing is more than just sitting down at the keyboard and typing. Writing is diving into the depths of your soul and embracing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Writing means peeling the onion layers of beliefs and emotions … Continue reading →
February 7, 2016
Purrrfect Writing Tips
Writers are quite cat-like. We can be stealthy, live far more than 9 lives thanks to our characters, pounce on delicious plots, cough up balls of plot flaws, and hiss at those critiquing our writing. In an effort not to … Continue reading →
January 24, 2016
13 Tips for the Writing Newbie
I began writing my first novel 5 years ago. Boy, was I naive! Yet, looking back, those 5 years feel like both an eternity and a blink of an eye. Because I taught literary analysis and have a B.A. in … Continue reading →
January 17, 2016
Don’t Fear the Critiquer
Despite what you may think, the folks critiquing your manuscript are not the sickle-wielding grim reaper come to bury your manuscript, although for the uninitiated it can be Hell. I paid—yes, paid—for critiques from industry professionals at writers conferences and … Continue reading →
January 10, 2016
Excuses, Excuses
Puleeeeze, writers. As a high school language arts teacher I’ve heard every excuse in the book—many times over. Much to my students’ chagrin, I tear apart…um, I mean kindly and logically explain how to overcome that excuse. ( Maybe this … Continue reading →
December 26, 2015
New Year’s Writing Resolutions
Write every day. Fall in love with the process of writing, from the initial idea to the first draft through the 10th revision and editing stage. Devote X minutes a day to learning about the craft of writing. Take a … Continue reading →
November 23, 2015
Giving Writerly Thanks
Writers love complaining and moaning, and I’ve done my share of that. But not today. Today I give thanks for the writing process. Waking up is fun. My mind is churning with words-words-words and plots-plots-plots. Coffee tastes good when I’m … Continue reading →
October 31, 2015
Got Research?
Many writers do a fair amount of research for their novels. Whether your genre is mystery, action-adventure, sci-fi, historical, urban fantasy, crime, or horror—writers are forever looking up facts to mix with the fiction. I spend at least a month … Continue reading →
