I’ve had a really hard time making progress on the first draft of my current work-in-progress, which will likely be the last book in my Oregon historical fiction series. I started it in late May 2023, and I’m not done with the first draft yet, though I’m beginning to see […]
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Letters to My Grandchild: A Writing Exercise in Intimidation
Every once in a while I come across a book that intimidates me. Sometimes, it’s too long. Sometimes, it’s too literary or slow for my tastes, and I don’t want to commit. Sometimes, it’s just not appealing. I don’t like to stop books in the middle, but sometimes I do, […]
Continue readingNew Year, New Goals—Will I Do Any Better in 2024?
In 2023, I had two primary writing goals—to publish When Heart Shall Fail (preferably in the first quarter of the year) and to draft the next (and last) book in my series on the settlement of Oregon. I published When Heart Shall Fail, but not until around Memorial Day. I […]
Continue readingGetting Past Procrastination
It’s been several years since I posted about how I sometimes procrastinate when I should be working on my novel. But I’ve found myself in procrastination mode for the past couple of weeks. Some reasons are good reasons to procrastinate. A grandchild’s visit, for example. Other reasons are not good […]
Continue readingSitting in the Dentist’s Office
The theme of this blog is “One writer’s journey through life and time.” Well, then, this post is a peek into today’s journey—I’ll write about my life and time in real time, what is happening while I draft this post. I am sitting in the dentist’s office. My husband has […]
Continue reading2023 Romance Genre Con at Woodneath Library
I’ve written before about the Woodneath Branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library and The Story Center located in this facility. This and the many other libraries in Kansas City are wonderful resources for our community. For the past several years, the Woodneath library has sponsored a Romance Genre Conference (known […]
Continue readingGranddaughter Trumps Blog
My granddaughter paid me a visit this past weekend (with her parents), so I haven’t had much chance to write a blog post. And, while I took enough pictures to post a photo blog, her parents have forbidden me to upload any pictures to the internet. So all you get […]
Continue readingCan ChatGPT (or Any Other AI System) Write a Novel?
ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) programs are the subject of many media articles and much discussion in the writing community. Some writers see the possibility of AI programs helping them to research and draft. Other writers are appalled that AI programs develop their knowledge base and fluency with language […]
Continue readingMilestone: Sending My Work-in-Progress To Beta Readers
I’ve reached an exciting point in writing my current work-in-progress—I’m about to send the manuscript out to beta readers. Writers define and use “beta readers” differently. I now use them when the basic plot is baked (though details can still be tweaked), when I’ve edited the manuscript fairly well (though […]
Continue readingMy Work-in-Progress: Diving into My Plot with Scrivener and Aeon Timeline
I am starting the New Year with a new resolve to finish my novel. I have confronted the timeline issue that has plagued me for the last couple of months. I moved the starting point of the story a month earlier, and I have finally plugged the hole which that […]
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