Archetypes are something you probably studied in high school or if you’re a fan of The Artist’s Journey by Christopher Vogler or Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. ALERT: This is critical information for any writer, any genre. An archetype is something that is: an original that has been imitated a recurrent symbol or motif in […]
Warts and All
I’ve been participating in Camp Nanowrimo ( http://campnanowrimo.org) this month and while not writing 80,973,947 words a day, I am hitting my 1000 mark most days. I actually have a plot to work with this time and characters that I love! Please excuse me while I do my happy dance. For this little camping venture, I […]
Project Life/January Part 1
I am at a transition point in my life, moving into the ’empty nest’ phase and wanted to capture the changes that were happening to my little family. . . . and to me. I’ve always documented in some way or another, but this year I wanted to be more intentional in the process, more […]
Are You Writing Characters Your Reader Will LOVE?
In my pursuit of the well rounded, three dimensional character, I began reading – REALLY reading, Robert McKee’s book, Story – a book I HIGHLY recommend. OK lovebugs, this is what I’ve learned so far: FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR CHARACTERS They are your babies, your creations, your soul whisperings. McKee says this: (pay attention) “The PROTAGONIST […]
A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Civil War
Characters come from everywhere: street corners, pictures in magazines, a conversation you overhear – writers are masters at eavesdropping – a song, a phrase, a piece of clothing, anything really can spark someone into life. Sometimes they just appear from the ether ready to tell their story, not a shy bone in their imaginative bodies. […]
Little Darlings
I’ve been working on several blog posts on character development and my personal journey with my “little darlings”. In the meantime, please join me over on Facebook for daily tidbits. There are a million character worksheets floating around out there. They are a great way to get a handle on the voices taking up space […]
Start
START NOW. Start celebrating with abandon ~ the big things, the small things, the messes and mayhem. Start saying what you mean despite fear, without apology. Start speaking your TRUTH. Start allowing. Receiving. Start opening to the FLOW of SOURCE. Start for your babies. Start so those precious ones can see how it’s done. So THE […]
Blueberries = Happiness
I believe one should start one’s day with a smidgen of bliss. I think it helps set the tone for what is to come. I have discovered blueberries in a big way since coming to Vermont and this little jar is not only a jar of blueberry spread —— (and an excellent source of fiber […]
The Crazy Lady Has Left the Building
The past eleven months have been a fabulous, frightening, blissified, roller coaster ride for me and my three kid-lings. I went a little crazy last August (according to some) and sold my house in the Southern California desert (a town 15 minutes from the Mexican border and the epicenter for the 2010 Easter 7.2 earthquake). […]