Six Sentence Sundays

Courtesy of Creative Commons



     I went to the drawer in my desk to check on the evidence from the barn to make sure it was still there, it was. My hand brushed against the cell phone, dotted with Roberts’s blood. I shivered and pulled it out, going quietly to the bathroom to clean it up. That’s all I need is for them to find Robert’s blood in my room. My head whirled with thoughts.
     I sat down at the little desk in my room, stared at the phone, and then started to scroll through the call history.



For those new to this, the rules are simple:

1) pick a project – a current Work in Progress, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published

2) pick six sentences

3) post ‘em on Sunday

See? Easy. Want to play? See the site for information on how to do just that: http://sixsunday.com

If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!

Nothing is Impossible

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!”


― Audrey Hepburn

I’m sure many of you have seen this quote before. When I came across it, I immediately thought about how true this is. Anything that you want is out there waiting for you, if you want it bad enough, and are willing to do the work to achieve it.

We just have to believe in ourselves and keep a positive mental attitude about life and the goals we have set for ourselves.

Believe me; I know how life tends to get in the way sometimes when it comes to working toward your goals and achieving your dreams. That kind of thing happens in my life all the time, little unexpected things to keep you on your toes, or big unexpected things to cause you frustration. Just because that happened, there is no reason to be discouraged.

If you really want to write that novel but just don’t have the time or the experience, don’t let that stop you. You will always find the time somewhere in your schedule to write a few words a day, even if you think there is simply no time and you’re overwhelmed with daily life and other activities. Something else may have to go if you want this bad enough, such as watching TV or networking too much on Facebook, or sleeping. You may have to get up earlier, or go to bed later, to squeeze in that hour of writing time each day.

Don’t worry about having experience either, because that is no excuse not to follow your dreams. Experience will come if you write, write, and write. You will keep moving forward through experience. There are also plenty of helpful people around. These individuals can give you pointers, or give you that pep talk that you may need.

You will never know unless you start and try. Every one of us started out with no experience at anything and we learned along the way. This goes for anything in life, not just writing. If it takes affirmations or positive phrases to get you motivated, there is nothing wrong with that. Post them where you will see them everyday to encourage you on your journey.

Now, if you’re not on your way already and where you want to be, go out and make it your New Year’s resolution to get started on your dreams. It’s never too late to take that first step.

Six Sentence Sunday

Free clipart



     “Of course I know what I’m doing. I’ve kept order here in Hollow Grove for years.”
      “And how many murderers have you caught?” I looked him in the eye.
      He knew I had him; murder was unheard of in this little village. There wasn’t much crime at all, but suddenly that had all changed.


For those new to this, the rules are simple:

1) pick a project – a current Work in Progress, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published

2) pick six sentences

3) post ‘em on Sunday

See? Easy. Want to play? See the site for information on how to do just that: http://sixsunday.com

If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!

Showing, Not Telling, in Fiction Writing

Free Clipart



We have all heard this “Show, don’t tell.” But how do we apply this in practical terms when it comes to conveying a feeling or thought without exposition?


Right now, I’m really dealing with how to handle this issue with my new novel, which is the first one I’ve tried to write in first person. I’m finding it to be a lot more challenging than the customary third person is.

So far, I have written three novels all in third person. One takes place in medieval times, so there was some research involved even though it’s a fantasy novel. I still wanted it to take the reader back to that time.

People in different eras have different speech and speech patterns than what we use today. This is particularly true if you’re writing historical novels. But, we have to be careful not to try to be too authentic with this speech because today’s readers won’t understand much of what your characters say and you could distract them by your effort to be genuine. I think this is much the case with my Y/A novel about an Irish potato farmer’s son. I didn’t go all out here on the “Irish-speak,” but I probably could have held back a bit and it would have still been okay.

When writing a historical piece it’s probably best to immerse yourself into the society of the period your work is taking place. It’s good to ask yourself, what were the prevailing political, social, and religious viewpoints? How would people express themselves? Were they open about expressing themselves? Be careful not to let modern sensibilities get in the way of what your characters would do. Let the way they really speak and think be available to your readers.

The degree to which your characters express their opinions and ideas, or ponder over them, or the language they use, depends on a few factors:

We all need to keep in mind that people of different generations and backgrounds generally speak differently. The speech of older characters would be distinct from younger ones unless there is an exception, for example, a teenager has switched bodies with an elderly person and is trying to pass visually and vocally as the senior citizen. This of course is an unusual scenario.

In addition, speech and thoughts of well-educated characters would be different from those with less schooling. We must never assume that either of these characters is less intelligent than the other one is, but their vocabulary and level of sophistication will probably differ and we want to show that in our story.

Fiction writing will be more vivid with individual characters that are distinct from one another. It will keep things more like real life. After all, when you look around we are all different. This brings up the question, how does one’s personality affect their words and thoughts? A shy person will definitely think and speak differently than an outgoing one. An uptight, angry character will think and speak differently than a carefree individual.

Another thing to think about is the length of speeches and thoughts. Some one concerned with the deep questions of life would tend to go on about something a lot longer than a child that is speaking. The amount of speech needs to match the character who is speaking. So while we are trying to concentrate on all of this to make the writing a great read, we also have to keep in mind that sentence lengths and paragraphs have differing dramatic effects too. Long passages tend to be soothing, but can get boring if they go too long, while short bursts can create and maintain tension. This last thing is what I’m trying to do in my new novel.

In time, I’ll see how successful I am at doing all of these things.

Six Sentence Sunday

Free Clipart



     I’ll figure it out Robert, I hope.

     I quickly covered my tracks, making for the door and my get-away when the slam of a car door caught me off-guard, I flushed, nowhere to hide. My car was in plain sight anyway.
     I composed myself with pepper spray in hand. I took a deep breath and awaited my assailant, crouching down behind a stall wall. I looked out a knothole to see Sheriff Donavan. Oh, crap!



For those new to this, the rules are simple:

1) pick a project – a current Work in Progress, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published

2) pick six sentences

3) post ‘em on Sunday

See? Easy. Want to play? See the site for information on how to do just that: http://sixsunday.com

If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!

The Story Container

Free Clipart



I read about this idea somewhere when I was searching for something else awhile back, as I’m quite fan of Google, finding myself there at least a dozen times every day, or so it seems.


I thought this would be a good thing to share on the blog. As writers, we are always looking for story ideas. The mind, being what it is, takes in things around us even though we don’t realize we’re absorbing this information sometimes. I’m talking about ordinary life here, not something we are deliberately trying to learn.

Whether we realize it or not, we notice things everywhere we go in our daily life, it could be to the coffee shop, market, driving down the highway, as we observe things around us, they stick with us as ideas to call up later, if we are lucky enough to remember everything. As we write, these things will jump out at us, perhaps it’s a conversation we overheard, or the mannerisms of someone we noticed while out. We can use all of this stuff in our writing.

If you’re like me, you may be reading a book, watching a TV show, talking to a neighbor and all of a sudden, a great idea will hit you that will work into a story you’re working on. I keep notepads and scraps of paper all over the house, in my car, in my purse or pocket, etc. that I use for jotting down ideas when these moments strike. Of course, I don’t use all these ideas right away because they are all over the place and won’t fit into the same story, however they are great fodder for future stories, so generally they work their way into a notebook that I keep for writing projects. This notebook is full of ideas and descriptions, bits of dialogue, some of it dating back a few years.

The notebook works, however, I think if it’s a great idea to keep them in a box. You could scramble the box now and then and pull one out to use as a prompt if you are stuck in your writing. This is kind of an intriguing and fun idea, reaching into a grab bag, pulling out a surprise, or even two, and combining them to make a story. If you don’t already have a system like this, here are a few ideas for starting one. You can purchase an inexpensive box, bowl, or pot at any craft store, or perhaps even a dollar store.

Here are places to get ideas for your story box:

*Looking around you, observing people, nature and things

*Talking with people around you

*Dreams

*Asking questions

*Reading

*Looking at pictures

*Watching TV

*Considering your own experiences in life

*Eavesdropping – intentionally or unintentionally

Don’t dismiss any of this because it might not sound like a good idea at the time, but it might be just what you’re looking for later, so jot it down and put it in your box.

Have fun!

Six Sentence Sunday

Free Clipart



     I was thinking about turning around when I spotted an old shamble of a structure in the distance, graying boards, falling down. My heart gave a flutter at the sight of the old barn. I sighed. I found it.

     My tires crunched to a stop, I slowly got out, wondering if I should have brought a weapon with me, not that I had one. I wonder if I should get one.


For those new to this, the rules are simple:

1) pick a project – a current Work in Progress, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published

2) pick six sentences

3) post ‘em on Sunday

See? Easy. Want to play? See the site for information on how to do just that: http://sixsunday.com

If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!

The Importance of Persistence

Royalty Free Public Domain

The determination to keep going no matter what  - is what every writer needs. We must never be discouraged because we aren’t making a living by selling our books and articles. Very few writers become this successful. Even today’s big names have had other jobs while they were writing that great novel. We do all have to pay the bills.


Even though writing is a hard business, you have to keep writing and studying and submitting your work. You will only get better at your craft by writing often.

Today we live in an exciting time to be a writer because we are no longer limited to submitting our work to agents and publishing houses. It’s become acceptable to self-publish your books today, so that leaves the door wide open for getting your work in front of the reader. Of course, this easy way of putting your book out there doesn’t excuse you from getting your work edited. We have to do our very best to put forth the best books possible. This means hours and hours of revisions to get it ready for an editor and proofreader to look at. Perhaps this process will take several years, but in the end, you know you did your best.

Indie authors have to try harder to make sure they deliver a good book because many believe it to be unacceptable if it is self-published and doesn’t have that stamp from a big publishing house. Even though self-publishing is looked down on, it is still becoming more mainstream every day. Some people think that an indie book will be poorly written and full of errors, but this is far from true. I have picked up many a book by a big publishing house and found errors in it. In fact, this happens all the time. I have also picked up indie books and found them written well with a charming story between the pages. I think the reader is beginning to realize this.

When setting out to write a book there are some things you can do.

Write, write, and write!

Set yourself a goal of so many words a day and keep at it. If you think about it, and plan and make notes, but never get started, nothing will happen. If you can manage to write 1000 words a day (approx 4 pages), it won’t be long and you’ll have the rough draft of a novel that you can begin rewriting and polishing.

Read as Much as You Can

You should read as much as extra time allows and across several genres. Reading helps you become a better writer. You will begin to notice writing structure, style, flow, and this will help you in your own endeavors. Obviously, this is the easiest way to study and see how other writers write scenes and weave their novels into marvelous tales. You should also read as many books on writing that you can get your hands on. They are full of advice on every issue you might encounter while writing.

Practice Makes Perfect

If you can get in the habit of a daily writing ritual, in a year or two you may have surprised yourself. You may have a couple of novels under your belt by then. With each one, you’ll only get better because your writing skills improve over time. You’ll begin to see things you could have done differently, etc.

So far, I have three self-published novels and I feel like I’ve learned so much since I finished my first one in 2008. Even though it is still my best seller, I feel that if I wrote the book today, I could improve it in so many ways. My feeling is genre makes a difference. I would caution you about picking a genre to write in, but you have to write what you want to write, even when the audience may be smaller.

Things have a way of changing over time, so you never know when, for example, vampire tales won’t be as popular as they are today, another genre replacing it. (No, my first book is not about vampires.) I only use that example because today these books are so popular that they inundate the market.

Don’t Lose Sight of Your Perception

You may be discouraged by the number of writers and books engulfing the marketplace today, but don’t let that bother you. You are a writer too and there is plenty of room for a good writer. Just keep writing and honing your craft. Don’t think too big in the beginning so you won’t be discouraged if you don’t live up to the demands you place on yourself. Instead, set smaller goals and then once you reach them, set more. In the meantime, you are writing and studying about writing. You know what you want and over time, you’ll be able to achieve it if you don’t give up.

Be Persistent

There really is no other choice if you want to succeed as a writer. Don’t ever give up when things start to seem impossible. They are not impossible to achieve, if you really believe in them. Don’t ever let anyone discourage you from your dream. Persistence pays off in every aspect of your life. It just may take awhile.

Six Sentence Sunday

Free Clipart



Was any place safe anymore?


This gave her a lot to think about; she decided to keep it to herself for now. She could tell Allie about this later. If she knew her sister, she was in way over her head anyway in another disaster of some kind. At least she hadn’t gotten a call from the jail again, so that was a good thing. Maybe she wasn’t giving her sister enough credit and was too hard on her, but somebody had to do it.


For those new to this, the rules are simple:

1) pick a project – a current Work in Progress, contracted work or even something readers can buy if you’re published

2) pick six sentences

3) post ‘em on Sunday

See? Easy. Want to play? See the site for information on how to do just that: http://sixsunday.com

If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!