Adventures in Life and Thought

  You Never Thought Writing Fiction Could Do This For You Once your excuses are gone, you will simply have to settle for being awesome! ~ Lorii Myers Are you ready to be awesome? Well then, you’ll have to get rid of these excuses: I don’t want to write I can’t write I don’t have time to write I hate reading why would I want to write I’ve never read fiction so how can I write it I can’t find a pencil or paper I can’t spell worth a flip I can barely speak much less write Everyone will think I’m crazy I have no imagination And the list goes on and on… Okay, at this point, you’re a little interested but more curious as to how this will benefit you, right? Let’s get one thing out of the way before we begin. All first-time fiction writers are one peg below dummies. Until you’ve actually written a work of fiction, expect to be clueless. But in this case clueless is priceless because you don’t have any expectations or deadlines to meet. And there is no editor in the wings wearing a literary po

  Imagine you're a writer and you've just pushed the publish button on your latest story. What would you do then? Do you break out in a sweat, wring your hands, circle your chair, pace the floor, drop to your knees, or just sit calmly and wait for the inevitable? I usually jump up and bake cookies, do some laundry, or rearrange some dust — anything to take my mind off the fact I’ve just dropped my precious baby down that crazy rabbit hole — again. Writers deal with word-induced fear every day. Let’s examine a few of the reasons why.  Lack of confidence — No matter how much we write, how often we publish, or how well each story does, we sweat with renewed anxiety each time we send another story out into the world for others to read? Comments and feedback — Writers have fragile egos. It’s part of our creative genetics. The world we live in is not known for tactfulness, kindness, or acceptance of strangers. And what can be stranger than a writer who’s just published a new story? “

  Don’t bore your readers to death! Perfect people who make no mistakes, always do the right thing, and fulfill our every desire are guaranteed to bore a fiction reader to death! For me, this truth is an oxymoron. Why? Because I’d personally love to be such a perfect person and have my life filled with them. But, as a writer of fiction, I know that most readers won't get past the first ten pages of a story whose characters are cookie-cutter perfect. Why do the majority of those who love to read romantic fiction feel the same way? It’s really simple. Readers of romantic fiction want some sort of conflict on every page. They want to join the obstacle-filled journey of the protagonist as she/he struggles toward the ultimate goal of finding true love. And the harder this quest, the more likely they’ll stay with the story, turning each page with keen anticipation. As a writer, I like to create this conflict through external issues, but most especially, through the flawed personalities o