Hello, dear readers! This week, I finished the third draft of my novel, The Loss of Our Mothers, set during the Great Blizzard of 1888. Which means that I am now looking for beta-readers. Hey, Leanne, what are beta-readers? Beta-readers volunteer to read a manuscript between drafts. The book is complete, but still in progress. My favorite things […]
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Writing Process: 7 Productivity Boosters
Draft 2 of Blizzard, my novel set during the Blizzard of 1888, turned into something of a beast: it was a complete re-write that took very little material from the first draft. I worked almost exclusively on it from mid-January to mid-May. Along the way, I adapted my writing process and learned some new tricks to help […]
It’s A Blogging Extravaganza!
Oh, readers, I have missed you SO much! Every time I take a break from blogging, I miss a vital piece of my writing life. When I’m not blogging, I feel disconnected from my readers and from the greater writing world. I even feel disconnected from a part of myself, the part that enjoys putting her […]
Five Ways To Study Characters
I spent the past two weeks getting reacquainted with the characters for my second historical novel, BLIZZARD (still a working title). After writing the first draft over the summer, I took a break from the book to let things marinate. I’ve decided that much will be changed in the second draft. Most of the characters will retain vestiges of […]
Finishing Draft 1: Then Vs. Now
Last Wednesday, I reached the end of Blizzard, draft 1. (For more details about the book’s plot and characters, return to this post.) I was powerfully reminded of the way I felt when I reached the end of draft 1 of Waist on the auspicious date of 12/12/12. I was exhilarated then; I thought I […]
Novel Intro: The Blizzard of 1888
One of my goals this summer, besides finishing the draft of my next historical novel, is to blog about it. I got to the next phase of my nonfiction project this past week by launching the website (I’ll be writing about and promoting that in the next post), so I’m starting to shift my Words From […]