This is possibly the most common question a writer hears. I’m going to risk the fury of a mob and admit I’ve never had trouble finding inspiration. So many story ideas are crammed in my cache that I may never get time to write them all. Yet that doesn’t stop me from seeking new ideas [...]
Archive for the ‘Research’ Category
How Do You Get Your Ideas?
Posted in Research, tagged motivation on October 1, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Make Your Story Stronger
Posted in Research, Second Drafts (WERE), tagged book clubs, themes, WERE on January 23, 2010 | 4 Comments »
Good news for this week: WHEN YOU REACH ME was the 2010 Newbery Medal Winner! Congratulations to Rebecca Stead on this well-deserved honor! Click here for more award winners (Caldecott, Printz, National Book Award, etc). Reminder for this week: THE LIGHTNING THIEF, by Rick Riordan, will be discussed February 3rd here, on this website (not on [...]
Types of Outlines
Posted in First Drafts (SUN), Research, tagged outlining, SUN on June 19, 2009 | 1 Comment »
If you’re new to “Summer’s Ultimate Novel,” click here to read the first post (listing ideas in a notebook), here to read the second (choosing the right idea), here to read the third (themes and one-line synopsis of your novel), here to read the fourth (one-paragraph synopsis), here to read the fifth (research and settings), [...]
Characters in You
Posted in First Drafts (SUN), Research, tagged characters, chart, contests, SUN on June 13, 2009 | 2 Comments »
If you’re new to “Summer’s Ultimate Novel,” click here to read the first post (listing ideas in a notebook), here to read the second (choosing the right idea), here to read the third (themes and one-line synopsis of your novel), here to read the fourth (one-paragraph synopsis), here to read the fifth (research and settings), or [...]
Where We Gonna Go From Here?
Posted in First Drafts (SUN), Research, tagged Research, setting, SUN on May 30, 2009 | 4 Comments »
If you’re new to “Summer’s Ultimate Novel,” click here to read the first post (listing ideas in a notebook), here to read the second post (choosing the right idea), here to read the third (themes and one-line synopsis of your novel), or here to read the fourth (one-paragraph synopsis). What did you think of the one-paragraph [...]
Starting Fires
Posted in First Drafts (SUN), Research, tagged novel ideas, SUN on May 8, 2009 | 7 Comments »
If you’re new to “YA on Saturday,” click here to read last week’s post. The first step of “Summer’s Ultimate Novel” (SUN) was to get a five-subject notebook and start listing ideas. Today I’ll talk about the second step: choosing the right idea for your novel. Maybe you already have lots of ideas, and that’s great. [...]
Preparing for the Second Draft
Posted in Research, tagged setting, THE RIVER'S EDGE--2nd draft on April 21, 2009 | 5 Comments »
I haven’t started the second draft; I’m still on “break.” But I can do little things to prepare for it, things I don’t consider as “work.” I call it the fun type of research. Some people would argue that all research is fun. They’re easily absorbed in reading mythology or historical records. Me… not so [...]
Novel-Planning: Part 3
Posted in Research, tagged novel-planning, setting, symbols on February 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I’ll attempt Part 3 of the Story Plan Checklist, despite my congested brain and throbbing lymph nodes (I’m not looking for pity; I just enjoy grotesque details). The usual, repetitive disclaimer: The method, steps, and ideas belong to Karen Wiesner. You can learn more by buying her book, From First Draft to Finished Novel, or [...]
Character Frolics
Posted in Book Reviews, Research, tagged characters, family, Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan on January 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I just finished packing for a weekend trip to my parents’ house. My brother and his family got the chance to fly home for “Christmas” (only a month late! The holiday that never ends!). So tomorrow we’ll drive five hours south to converge upon my parents, eat obscene amounts of food, and watch the kids [...]
Research Frolics
Posted in Research, tagged characters, family, Research on January 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I didn’t realize until noon today that it was Friday. That’s what I call a crazy week. Sometime this evening, eight college students will converge upon my house and stay until Sunday. It’s a weekend retreat for the Wildlife Society, which my husband is part of, so we volunteered to host it. I’ve never had [...]
Welcome . . .
To Receive Posts by Email:
Links
Categories
February 2012 M T W T F S S « Oct 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Archives
- October 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
Pages
-
Blog Stats
- 14,225 hits
