Posts Tagged ‘writing fiction’
Midweek Questions from My Readers
Every once in a while I like to answer some of the questions you’ve sent me. Some are related to writing, some are more personal, and my goal in these posts is to answer two of each. (Almost) anything goes, so feel free to add new questions with your comments and I’ll try to answer…
Read MoreThe Happy Insomniac
Yeah, that’s me. Well, I’m also waking up tired, but that’s beside the point. I absolutely love it when the reason I can’t sleep is that ideas for my work-in-progress are popping into my mind so quickly I can barely keep track of them. Example from last night: A door that should have been locked…
Read MoreWorking with my Plant List
I’m a month and a half to my deadline, so things are a little frantic here! I thought I’d share with you where I’m at in the process. Anyone who’s followed my blog knows that I’m not one of those “sit down and write the book from start to finish” kind of writers. How I…
Read MoreDo You Read the Last Page First?
A friend called the other day. I hadn’t spoken to him in a couple of months and I knew he and his family were going through some difficult times. He wanted to catch me up, telling me “so much has happened since I talked to you last.” (I really did receive this call, but I’m…
Read MoreTurning an Idea into a Story
One thing a writer learns early is the importance of “showing” instead of “telling”. It’s a real problem for many new writers, but seasoned writers struggle with it, too. That’s what I’m grappling with right now as I flesh out my work-in-progress. I’ve written the long synopsis that describes the novel, but how do I…
Read MoreStory Weekend Theme: Porches
Either you have a porch or you wish you had a porch. It’s true, isn’t it? (Or if it isn’t, I bet there’s a story there too). I’m lucky enough to have a screened porch for the first time in my adult life, and oh, how I love working out there. I’d love to know…
Read MoreA World War II Story You'll Love!
I’m so excited that one of my closest friends, Sarah Shaber, has a new book out. Sarah is the author of the Professor Simon Shaw Mystery Series, but now she’s branching out in a new direction. Sarah’s part of my Weymouth 7 Writers Group, so I had the opportunity to brainstorm with her as she created this…
Read MoreWelcome Alex Sokoloff to my Blog!
Please welcome my good friend and fellow writer, Alexandra Sokoloff, to the blog. I use Alex’s wonderful writing tips when structuring my books and I’m grateful to her for sharing them so generously. Welcome, Alex! Hi everyone! If you’ve been reading Diane’s blog for any amount of time you’ve probably heard about her writers’ group,…
Read MoreMy "Early Works"
I was digging through some memorabilia and came across a few books I wrote when I was twelve. I’ve shared Witchville with the blog before, but I’d forgotten about these two. The ‘stories’ are three short novellas, all simply dreadful. I wrote The Tonsil Twins for my younger brother and cousin, who had their tonsils out…
Read MoreHearing Voices: Point of View in Fiction Writing
The Midwife’s Confession is written from five different points of view, and I’m here to tell you, that was a challenge! Every one of my twenty novels has had multiple points of view, but never before have I had to balance five female voices in one story. Want to know the hardest part about multiple…
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