Writers have a saying, ‘You have to kill your darlings’, which means stuff gets cut in the editing process. It’s tough, but it has to be done. Scenes get cut for number of different reasons. This one, like the first in this series, suffered the axe when I applied the ‘does it make a difference’ test. In other words, if I cut this scene does it make any difference in the story? In this case … Continue reading →
Sometimes you wake up and really do find everything has changed. In case you missed part 1 or 2: Rising Waters, part 1 Risings Waters Part 2 Writers are told to avoid clichés. Clichés like: When she awoke that morning everything had changed and nothing would ever be the same again. In general, that’s good advice. Except when that’s exactly what happens. Monday morning was a little different. The rain had let up just a … Continue reading →
Writers have a saying, ‘You have to kill your darlings’, which means stuff gets cut in the editing process. It’s tough, but it has to be done. Scenes get cut for number of different reasons. This one suffered the axe for a different sort of reason. After doing some research I discovered that women did sometimes attend funerals during the regency era. (Click here for a fascinating article on the topic.) It seemed very much … Continue reading →
Hurricane Harvey settling in as a most unusual and unwelcome guest. In case you missed part 1: Rising Waters, part 1 For those of you not familiar with tropical weather, like hurricanes, let me give you a quick primer. These unwelcome guests tend to crash the party in a fairly predictable way., considerate creatures that they are. The weather typically comes in band after band of wind and rain, increasing in intensity as you get … Continue reading →
Writers have a saying, ‘You have to kill your darlings’, which means stuff gets cut in the editing process. It’s tough, but it has to be done. Scenes get cut for number of different reasons. This one suffered the axe when I applied the pacing test. In other words, if I cut this scene move too fast or slow down the story? I needed some help seeing it, but the scene slowed down what was … Continue reading →