Plenty of information exists on how to tighten your sentence structure to cut out unnecessary words and trim the fat from your writing, but few resources explain how to increase the word count. And believe me, adding fluff doesn’t count. An editor will spot it right away and so will avid readers. To prove my…
Do you enjoy combing the beach for beautiful and interesting shells? Whether you enjoy shelling to create new crafts, collecting memory pieces for all the places you’ve traveled, or just love finding shells for your collection, our North Carolina beaches are full of all types of shells. Most of the images I’ve displayed in this…
In these difficult economic times, writers are struggling with whether to write the stories on their hearts or write what the market will buy and sell. If you are depending on your writing income for a living, the pressure to write for a market may be even stronger. So what should a writer do? I…
When people think of an historical Christmas, they typically think of the Victorian Christmas that they have seen in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. However, the Regency period was earlier between 1800-1820, which was part of the larger Georgian era from 1714 to 1830. The Victorian era followed after that between 1830-1901. As a result,…
Most literary agents and publishers require an author to submit a 3-5 page synopsis. Some want a longer synopsis, while others want a one-pager or a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline. My advice is to create a 3-page synopsis since that will suffice most requests and customize it as needed, but always keep the original 3-pager as…
In 2014, my novel For Love or Loyalty was published, but it wasn’t until 2023 when I finally got a chance to visit the Burgwin-Wright House after I had researched it online and used it in my novel. This house is intriguing because it was constructed in 1770 on top of the old city jail…
Q & A Q: Can fiction be based on a true story and still be fiction? A: Absolutely Q: When do you know to call it nonfiction or a novel based on a true story? A: That depends I’m sure there are varying degrees of answers to these questions, but I’ll attempt to give you…
While most people are familiar with people wearing black during a period of mourning in the old days, many are not aware of additional customs that society expected of grieving families. Many of these customs were most likely imposed upon your own family ancestors. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, it might help to understand…
The first time an editor told me they thought they could acquire my manuscript after I made a few minor changes, I was thrilled! The editor sent me a brief paragraph stating that I needed to lighten the sensual detail between my hero and heroine, deepen the faith element, and lighten the Scottish brogue a…
Whenever someone discovers I’m a writer, the next question that pops out is “What do you write?” Sometimes I give a broad term like “Christian fiction” just to see what their reaction might be. Will they be turned off by the Christian part of my answer? Will they want to know more? If they are…