Screenwriting
SubPlots
Last month, I decided to go back and work on an updated version of my original award-winning inspirational screenplay…
September 4, 2022-
-
Romancing Your StoryHow Candlelight Brings Out the Romance in Your Characters
What is it about candlelight that makes a candlelight dinner so romantic? First of all, did you know that…
August 23, 2022 -
History in the MakingThe School Bus (Pt. 2) Riding Through Racial Tensions
Public school buses (part 1- almostanauthor.com) hit the road in the 1920s, traveling the soon-to-be-familiar roads of segregation. But…
August 20, 2022 -
Kids LitMore Meantime…
Things are getting more exciting for fall – real conferences in person with live editors taking pitches. But until…
August 16, 2022 -
Fantasy-Sci-FiLocation, Location, Location: Where Do We Find Our Peeps?
Finding your tribe can be difficult, especially for writers who’d much rather stay at home. It doesn’t take an…
August 10, 2022 -
Mastering Middle GradeInside the Ten-Foot Line: From Conception to Publication Part One
As I wrote this article, I got an email from my publisher letting me know that the pre-order sales…
August 8, 2022 -
Screenwriting
Plot Driven Story Telling
Recently I began working on a new screenplay project I pitched to a management team. For almost a year…
August 5, 2022 -
Writing for YAHow to Write the Opening Scene: Infusing Emotional Connection From Page One
I had a conversation recently with one of my writing friends. She wanted to talk about how to infuse…
July 27, 2022 -
Romancing Your Story
Food, Feeding, and Romance
Have you ever wondered why a guy gives the girl he’s romantically interested in a box of chocolates? Or…
July 23, 2022 -
History in the Making
Development of the Piano-Part 2
Bartolomeo Cristofori accomplished a great technical achievement when he created the piano, but the piano did not become popular…
July 20, 2022 -
Mastering Middle Grade
Show, Don’t Tell
“Show, don’t tell” should be the mantra of every writer, especially Middle Grade authors. What is ‘Telling’? Telling is…
July 16, 2022 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
Sense Sensibilities
Filtered air wooshed in, wonderfully odourless. He climbed through the double airlock and into the dock itself, then collapsed…
July 11, 2022 -
Kids Lit
In the Meantime…
The clock begins the minute we hit “send.” We just launched a glorious new concept, never done before in…
July 8, 2022 -
Screenwriting
Character Driven Storytelling
Powerful stories make a strong impression on our audience. These stories bring change in our audience through the changes…
July 4, 2022 -
Writing for YA
Why Writers Should Keep a Travel Journal
Travel diaries can enrich your writing. New experiences can be a treasure trove of ideas. When something unique happens,…
June 30, 2022 -
Writing Romance
What About Commitment?
Let’s face it. The majority of romance readers, including me, prefer a happy ending. But does that mean the…
June 23, 2022 -
History in the Making
Development of the Piano (Part1)
As a writer it is important to get your details right, even in fiction. I am working on final…
June 20, 2022 -
Mastering Middle Grade
What Rejection Really Is
Behind every book on the shelf, and every story waiting to be published, there’s an author who has experienced…
June 16, 2022 -
Mastering Middle Grade
What Rejection Really Is
Behind every book on the shelf, and every story waiting to be published, there’s an author who has experienced…
June 16, 2022 -
Fantasy-Sci-Fi
Who’s Ya Buddy?
Crashing waves. Wild winds. Scratchy sand between my toes. I loved those summer days when someone’s mom would offer…
June 11, 2022 -
Kids Lit
Of Adjectives and Illustrators
“So how do you feel about art notes?” This came up to a panel of editors recently, and it…
June 8, 2022 -
Screenwriting
Powerful Storytelling
Movies are sometimes regarded as the most powerful form of communication. Although they are primarily visible, their reach goes…
June 4, 2022 -
Writing for YA
What I Learned by Writing for Anthologies
I’ve had two types of experience with anthologies. My first experience with contributing to an anthology was simple. I…
May 27, 2022 -
Writing Romance
Lessons From the Movies
I recently watched Hudson Hawk, a (deservedly) lesser-known Bruce Willis movie. It was released three years after his smash…
May 23, 2022 -
History in the Making
The School Bus, Early Rides and Development
Most folks are very familiar with big yellow buses boasting black-stenciled letters: SCHOOL BUS We can’t miss them. We’re…
May 20, 2022
We love helping your growing in your writing career.
