Ah, the adverb. The bane of editors everywhere, but I think they have their place. I love this quote about adverbs: “Overuse at best is needless clutter; at worst, it creates the impression that the characters are overacting, emoting like silent film stars. Still, an adverb can be exactly what a sentence needs. They can Read More
Tag: writing
The Reform of a Plantser
I’m late to post today, because I’ve been plotting. *Insert wicked cackle here* For weeks–well, truth be told, just about the entire summer–I’ve been stuck. Every time I open up WriteWay Pro to write, absolutely nothing comes. I have two stories halfway done, but they are both a hot mess. Weak conflict, boring characters, yadda yadda. Now this Read More
Grumpish about Grammar
This post is very late. I was in a super bad mood last Sunday and couldn’t think of anything I wanted to write, and I was too busy reading contest entries anyway. Back in the spring I volunteered to serve as a first round judge in several contests. I actually love judging contests, but when I volunteered I stupidly failed Read More
Author Interview: Nina Croft
Apologies for my absence of late. June was crazy busy, and last week I was away for my anniversary–more on that in a future post! My guest today is the very talented and prolific Nina Croft. Her latest book, The Spaniard’s Kiss, released this week. Welcome, Nina! Tell us a bit about you. Where do Read More
Author Interview: AE Jones
Today I am honored to welcome NEORWA chapter sister, 2013 Golden Heart winner, and two-time 2015 RITA Finalist AE Jones. Thanks so much for visiting, AE! Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing? Thanks for having me here today, Marin! I live in Northeast Ohio in Read More
Five Reasons to Go to a Writers’ Conference
I spent this weekend at my RWA chapter’s Cleveland Rocks Romance Conference, which was wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, I thought I’d share with you some reasons why, if you’re a writer, you should attend a writers’ conference too. 1. You meet other writers. Writing is a solitary occupation. We spend a lot of time in Read More
Author Interview: Abigail Owen
Today I welcome author Abigail Owen, whose novel, Andromeda’s Fall, was released by The Wild Rose Press in December 2014. Thanks for visiting, Abigail! Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing? My name is Abigail Owen. I was raised in Texas but now live in Read More
The Surprising Truth About Contractions
I use contractions when writing dialogue. When I don’t, the language can seem stilted and unnatural. I have long wondered how common contractions were in days past, but I was afraid to look it up and find that they weren’t common, because then I would have to make a decision: use historically inaccurate language to make Read More