While reading through my first draft, one thing has become abundantly clear: What I have here isn’t a draft at all. What I have is a really, really detailed outline.

Part of the reason for this is that my main goal while I was writing was to just finish. I really wanted to get from point A to point B and wrap things up. While I was working I just kept pushing forward, trying to think of events that could occur to keep the story moving and grow these characters, until they reach…

"Louise," Thorny yelled from somewhere in the house. Probably his office, I thought, slamming the album of pictures shut. I was scrap booking, designing pages into works of art, adding photos almost as an afterthought. Low on paper cement I'd have to quit soon anyway. But, damn it to hell! What on earth did he want now?

I scooted my chair back from my desk in the dining room and walked into the hall. "Where are you?" I called. No answer. "Where are you, Thorny?" Louder this…

Fiji is a spellbinding novel of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension set in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth. As the pharaohs of ancient Egypt build their mighty pyramids, and Chinese civilization evolves under the Shang Dynasty, adventurous seafarers from South East Asia begin to settle the far-flung islands of the South Pacific. The exotic archipelago of Fiji is one of the last island groups to be discovered and will remain hidden…

In some ways – though the sun is shining, my family are happy, and life is generally good – I’m not having a great week. The reason for this is that I am close to finishing my latest novel and I have reached the point in the plot where I have to kill off my main man, Edward. And I’m struggling because I have really grown to love 'my' Edward.  Know what I mean?

I have lived with Edward in my head for two years now. I know I have to kill him off for the sake of my…

Today's Saturday Short is the trailer for Billy Coffey's forthcoming novel "When Mockingbirds Sing":

http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2013/05/saturday-short_4.html 

You don’t just show up on race day and run a full marathon without training. You’re not likely to be able to finish, and it would be both painful and unhealthy.

Rather than reaping the health benefits of regular running, you end up sore muscles, blisters, and maybe even stress fractures. We all know how it’s done: When preparing for a marathon, you start small and train over time, building to where you can take on hose 26.1 miles.

Likewise, it’s not healthy to go on large…

Tiferet Host Melissa Studdard, and Guest Co-Host, Tiferet Associate Editor, R Jeffreys, speak with the fabulous literary duo, poets Hélène Cardona and John FitzGerald.

Click here to read the rest of the post and to access the replay and download links.

What goes into the design and production of an annotated edition of a Jane Austen novel? Monday Muse finds a short video that gives readers an inside look at the making of Austen's "Pride and Prejudice".

http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2013/04/monday-muse-jane-austen-annotated.html

Today's quote is from Paul Auster's 2003 interview with The Paris Review:

http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2013/04/thought-for-day_21.html

To be honest, I really have not watched American Idol in a long time.



Last night, I was doing homework and flipping channels and decided to stop. I am sort of familiar with the girls in the top five so I figured I would see who was voted off. I am so happy I tuned in. Last night Fantasia sang a song that showed me with passion and artistry is all about. Is you have not seen it, please watch this…

In June of 2012 I wrote a book that was very close to my heart. 

It was a story that was outlined the previous year and worked on via Nanowrimo 2011 but the story had been brewing for many years.  I knew these characters.  They spoke to me and I spoke  to them.  When I finished the book I was ecstatic and began the process of revisions and letting others read it. 

And then I discovered it was a typical first book.  Full of mistakes and the story just needed…

I'm finally on Spring Break which means I can start writing. I'm scared because now that I have time I'm scared my ideas suck. The only thing keeping me going is my stubbornness to quit writing the story. I just don't see my life without writing. Here's to hoping I finish my draft within now and next year :) 

Dear SheWriters,

It is now a matter of hours, of breaths.

I am about to start on my journey, bearing Oleander Girl to her readers.

Yes, I’m elated.

Yes, I’m terrified.

Above all, I feel a strange quiet. I’ve done everything I could. I've written the best book I knew how to write. It’s now in larger hands than mine. The hands of the Universe.

In the coming months I will depend on the kindness of friends—and sometimes strangers. And on…

Dear SheWriters,

Less than a month left now for Oleander Girl’s birthday! Things are heating up.

This is the week to fine-tune the book tour and plan media outreach, so I’m on the phone a fair bit with my publicist at Simon and Schuster, discussing strategy. We’re going over media that I’ve done before in cities where I’ve been on book tour, so that she can approach them (in addition to others that she’s approaching on her own). We’re discussing reviewer venues where finished…

Quote of the Day

“The human eye is a wonderful device. With a little effort, it can fail to see even the most glaring injustice.” 

― Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon

Here is my second chapter, if there is anyone out there who would like to comment about spelling, grammar, content, the characters or the percentage of horse meat…

Sarah Glazer, a fan of Katherine Boo, wonders if her technique is for everyone

“But does it work as a novel?” That question from a member of my London book club startled me as we discussed Katherine Boo’s compelling reporting on slum-dwellers of Mumbai,…

Journalist Nikhita Venugopal, who covers Cobble Hill for DNAinfo.com, interviewed me yesterday and we spoke about my novel, Cutting Teeth (St. Martin's Press 2014), the modern parenting experience and more.

It was so much fun, and Nikhita was…

Dear She Writers,

I’m excited to be writing a series of posts for She Writes, detailing the countdown to publication for my new novel, Oleander Girl.  One reason I’m pleased is because I’ve been reading (and learning from) other people’s countdowns, and I hope some of the things I share here will be helpful to you. But mostly it’s because sharing my hopes and anxieties for the novel, at which I’ve worked so long, makes this waiting period a little less scary and a little less…

Editing.

There, I said it. Whether you like it or hate it (I like it, but I’m a recovering English teacher), it’s not elective. You have to do it.

Why? I’ll tell you. If you’re trying to get the attention of a major publisher, you’ve got to be able to show that you’re capable. If you’d like to work with a small publisher, it helps immensely if they don’t have major issues to address in your MS. And if you’re going to self-publish, you don’t want to look like an idiot to those…

I’ve seen authors voice different opinions about having a real person in their head when writing a story. Some do it, some don’t. Some are against it, some for it.

Me?

I find for some characters, it benefits me to have a “voice” in my head. Especially given the amount of dialogue in my stories. If each character has a unique sound in my head – whether that be an actual tone of voice, an accent, or specific mannerisms – their conversations are easier to imagine.

Not every…