Writing with Intention

I had the most delightful few hours at a critique group meeting last week. Oh, how I have missed going to them regularly! At the beginning of my writing career, I joined 2 different groups and rarely missed a meeting for about a year. Then my girls joined volleyball and my schedule tightened. Some outstanding online critters have provided huge blessings since then, but there is something about sitting and discussing pages with other writers. I learn so much!

Character Moment: Turn-Around Man

I’ve heard he was in the Vietnam War and that fact by itself could explain his odd habits. He can be seen walking across parks, lots, even crossing the street in the same manner. Five paces and a three step turn. Once isn’t such a huge deal, but he’ll do it all the way down the block. He makes me dizzy watching him, I can’t understand how he stays in a straight line. I’d hate to see him walking a dog that way.

And at first, his dance almost seems comical and then a little tragic, until I consider that this type of behavior might have been cultivated in a battle zone. Being aware of everyone around him at all times likely kept him alive.

Character Moments

I’m preparing to teach a class on creating and analyzing characters to a bunch of home schooled high schoolers. I confess, the prospect and planning have kept character attributes on the forefront of my mind.

I sat in the mall food court the other day, (teenage sleepover event) and made little notes about everything I noticed.

Interview: Lena Nelson Dooley’s Catherine

Lena Nelson Dooley is truly a treasure and her series “McKenna’s Daughters” is nothing short of epic! Her final book, Catherine’s Pursuit, though a stand-alone story, brings the entire trilogy to a satisfying ending. What a remarkable heroine!

Interview: J.A. Marx Heroine

I’m so excited to welcome Riki Hammad from Destiny Defied, by J.A. Marx. Riki is terribly intriguing, with so many layers even she doesn’t know who she really is. 

Romance for the Librarian

For the poor repressed LIBRARIAN, romance is only something she reads about in books. She doesn’t interact with people in general so doesn’t expect to meet the guy. But I’ll tell you, that guy has to be a pretty unique sort to not only capture the LIBRARIAN’s attention, but also hold it! Because she’s inexperienced, though, she’s rather an empty slate with love and can work with several different types.

Eagle Eye Analysis

I know, movies are supposed to be escape from work. But I can’t help it. When I watch, I have a blast dissecting the main characters and their relationship, then I dig into the plot and structure of the story. And this movie gave me the perfect specimen for all of it! Read on story-lover!