A Thistle in the Wind

Oh yes, we’re doing this. We’re talking about something I hate: when to delete a scene. Scary, right? I KNOW. I think it’s pretty obvious at this point that I’m deeply attached to my writing. I’m especially attached to some of the scenes I write late at night, when the rest of the world sleeps and my companions are my nightlight, and the occasional street cat meowing outside. I firmly believe my best work happens after the witching hour. Most of the stuff I’ve written that have also gotten published were written after midnight. However, as great as some scenes I write are, sometimes, they just don’t fit. And yeah,…

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this several times now, but here’s the recap anyway. As you know, I’m doing the final editing round of my manuscript these days. And one of the major edits I’ve been struggling with is mastering the art of writing emotions. I feel like, as writers, we often get lost in accurately depicting emotions, especially when it comes to emotions like pain and loss. We as people tend to process emotions very differently and our characters, being diverse, tend to have different reactions too. Stories are built on the foundation of action and reaction.  When something meaningful occurs, readers want to see how characters respond. These…

Let’s face it, a writer’s block sucks. And trust me, as someone currently going through it right now, let me tell you: it’s horrible. Seriously, what can you even do with a block? OK, back up; I know, technically, I’m writing but I’m talking about my manuscript right now.  Something’s blocked in my brain stopping me from writing, editing and overall, just doing anything that requires me from doing anything related to the manuscript from a critical perspective. And this is something that all writers face frequently. There are days when words flow like a river, and others when the blank page stares back at you like an unyielding wall.…

Here’s the deal, the opening chapter of any story is, undoubtedly, the most important. It’s the first impression your work makes on the reader, and it needs to be compelling enough to make them want to keep reading. There needs to be something to leave readers wanting more. A strong opening chapter can make your book a page-turner, while a weak one can cause readers to abandon your book. If you screw up the opening chapter, you are sending a message to the audience that you do not know how to do this and there’s a very good chance you do not know how to do the rest of the…