by Autumn | Oct 3, 2014 | The World of Myrrah, Writing
Subplots can add to the interest and complexity of a novel or they can completely derail the plot. But why one subplot works and not another isn’t always clear. There are a LOT of blog posts on the uses and pitfalls of subplots. Go ahead, run a Google search to see!...
by Autumn | Sep 26, 2014 | Friends of my Enemy, Tips, Writing
One of the reasons I love being an indie author is because we can blur genre lines. We can write a story, any story. If it becomes a steampunk-zombie-romance that’s fine. Well its fine until you go to upload it to Amazon or with any other e-publisher. Then you need to...
by Autumn | Sep 12, 2014 | Friends of my Enemy, The World of Myrrah, Tips, Writing
All stories utilize tension, but each genre incorporates it differently. Stories, and the tension in them, are not the same. Epic fantasy, thrillers, and other action oriented novels rely on the tension built by ‘what will happen next!’ Other tales such as detective...
by Autumn | Aug 22, 2014 | Tips, Writing
Writing is an interesting beast. It is a creative process that can take a route all of its own. But one of the things I love about it is moving forward with the process. Which is why I’ve always admired authors who kept a writing schedule. Giving myself a deadline and...
by Autumn | Aug 8, 2014 | Writing
A recent post over at the Guild of Dreams had me thinking about how I handle background information in my stories. Not that I don’t think about background quite a lot. I do! I love world building and tend not to start writing, well really writing the novel, until I’ve...
by Autumn | Aug 1, 2014 | Tips, Writing
What do you think of when I say ‘the dark forest’ or ‘the magical glade’ or even the ‘the tiny village’? Ideas – preconceived ideas – immediately spring to mind, don’t they? A recent article over at Mythic scribes talked about metaphor and how authors use...
by Autumn | Jul 25, 2014 | Tips, Writing
My writing productivity is increasing. Which is awesome! But does create a few issues. One of the biggest is springing for an editor. I fully believe every book needs a good edit by someone other than the writer. It is amazing how much can be overlooked, especially...
by Autumn | Jul 11, 2014 | Friends of my Enemy, Writing
I’m persnickety about creating character ‘voice.’ Though I write in third person limited, I endeavor to keep the ‘narrator’ of each chapter fixed in the knowledge and experience of the character whose POV the chapter is written from. If they can’t see, feel, hear,...
by Autumn | Jun 20, 2014 | Friends of my Enemy, Writing
I used to play around with short stories. I didn’t think there was much to them. They were a novel in miniature without all the detail and fluff. Well, no. Not exactly. It’s great to have an opinion on something when you have little experience actually doing it. Like...
by Autumn | Jun 13, 2014 | Friends of my Enemy, The World of Myrrah, Tips, Writing
Do you always act as you intend? And an even more difficult question – do you think others interpret your actions as you hope? That view of actions misaligned with intent fascinates me. Can our subconscious bring doubts to the fore without our realizing it,...
