Definition from Merriam-Webster: COLLATERAL DAMAGE (noun) : injury inflicted on something other than an intended target; specifically : civilian casualties of a military operation Do you feel sometimes you're in a war when it comes to your novel? Like there are certain characters that you thought were safe and now you have to make them suffer or worse kill them? I'm struggling with this right now. I'm working on making sure that every character brings *something* to the story. One of … [Read more...]
Novel Wisdom (9)
February 15, 2012 Read Comments
This post is part of a series on the blog where I share some of the nuggets of wisdom and inspiration — related to writing and/or life — that I find steeped in the pages of novels that I’ve read. This comes from one my favorite YA novels so far this year. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green From Hazel Grace, the narrator of the novel: "Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be … [Read more...]
(Overrated) Validation
February 8, 2012 Read Comments
This past weekend I was reading some of my favorite blog posts and stumbled across this gem from Seth Godin. It speaks so truthfully and it was something that I needed to read again. "We spend a lot of time organizing and then waiting for the system to pick us, approve of us and give us permission to do our work. Feedback is important, selling is important, getting the market to recognize your offering and make a sale --- all important. But there's a difference between achieving your goals … [Read more...]
“Offensive” Writing
February 1, 2012 Read Comments
What if someone told you that your writing was offensive? Reading is very subjective so your writing may very well offend someone. Each reader comes to a story with a specific set of morals and values and this can affect their response/reaction to your writing. It can be awkward to say that least. I was once in a critique group where this became an issue. One writer felt that she couldn't even bring certain material to the group because it was deemed "offensive." In the end, she had to … [Read more...]
