Because of our move, July was a lost cause on editing my current work in progress. But I am pleased to report that as August began, I got back into the swing of things. I’m into the polishing phase on the novel, which will be titled My Hope Secured. I’ve […]
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Fifteen Nuggets from Cherry Adair at the Woodneath Romance GenreCom Master Writers Program
On August 1 and 2, I took a break from the hassles of moving to attend the Master Writing Class with Cherry Adair offered by the Woodneath Branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library as part of their Romance Genre Conference. Author Cherry Adair taught a two-day program that covered how […]
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Historical Aspects of My Work in Progress
In February 2018, when I began writing my current novel, I speculated about what historical events might be featured in the book. I’m now in the polishing phase, and this post is an update on what has in fact made it into the novel’s plot. The Oregon Land Donation Act […]
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Oregon Spectator, May 22, 1851
Sometimes when I’m stuck on my historical novels about Oregon Territory, I go out to the Oregon Spectator newspaper for the month that I’m writing about and look for inspiration on what was actually on the minds of citizens of the day. I didn’t know what to write in today’s […]
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More on Slow Communications in the Frontier Days
As I work on my current novel, I am mired again in the vagaries of the mail system in 1850-51. I wrote a post on this topic when I was working on Now I’m Found, in which letters between the characters provided many of the plot’s turning points. In my […]
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Developing Plot in Scrivener, and Then . . . A Synopsis!
A few weeks ago I had to write a synopsis of my current work-in-progress to submit it to a contest. I hate writing synopses. My novels are over 100,000 words, and I’m supposed to capture the plot and essence of the story in under 1000 words? Nevertheless, I found this […]
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Logging in Oregon in the 1850s
When the pioneers reached Oregon, they found abundant old-growth forests with timber that had never been cut. But logging has always been a part of Oregon’s history. In 1805, Lewis and Clark built their winter shelter, Fort Clatsop, out of logs they cut. Hudson Bay Company built a water-powered sawmill […]
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Breaking Ground: On Building New Homes and Novels
I wrote in an earlier post that my husband and I are building a new home, after thirty-four years in our current house. The builder broke ground on the new house at the end of November! Now there will be something to see after months of planning. Building a house […]
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On Writing and Editing and Procrastination
I talked to a friend the other day and found her in the process of making tomato sauce. “I haven’t made tomato sauce in years,” I said. “Not since someone gave me an excess of tomatoes one summer.” “Well, it was either this or edit the book I’m working on,” […]
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Whining about Writing
Sometimes you just have to whine. Or rant. I’m doing some of both today. For the past several weeks, I’ve only been able to work on my novel about one day a week. Maybe two. I am in a weekly critique group, in which each participant (there are six of […]
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