The Newsletter Stand (Book) http://www.Writing.Com/main/books.php/item_id/1390542-The-Newsletter-Stand "Almost every scene, I re-think as I'm about to start drawing it, and at least half of the time I'm changing dialogue or whatever, or adding scenes or different things." Chester Brown Behind the Scenes You've nailed down your plot, characters; you've even ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:55:05 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/681588 Swing Into Action [Image #1375759] I'm lazy. I haven't always been lazy, but I am now. Engulfed in responsibilities, swallowed by stress, smothered by self-doubt, I allowed laziness to park herself on my front doorstep. Then, she darted inside while my hands clutched bags filled with groceries. Worse, inst...[Read Full Post] Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:14:15 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/660000 "Try to open up your mind a little, and move away from rigid opinions of what people should do and be - unless you have been there. -Ann Rule During the third week in April of this year, I flew out west to a town called Gold Beach,(Oregon). My mom had fallen, broke her hip, had surgery and was beginning the slow climb to recovery. I wante...[Read Full Post] Thu, 28 May 2009 10:48:04 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/650293 [Image #1419444] Hiking. It's MY Action/Adventure! Never confuse movement with action." --Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) Readers love action. Scenes rich with physical struggles, verbal confrontations, and near death escapes. They love fistfights, boxing matches,...[Read Full Post] Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:58:14 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/634456 [Image #1419444] Hiking, It's MY action / adventure. We've all heard how details bring home our writing. When you're inserting detail, don't forget about your story's setting. "Detail makes the difference between boring and terrific wri...[Read Full Post] Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:51:15 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/628547 [Image #1487357] Hi there. I'm Robin, and I'll be your guest editor for this week's Comedy Newsletter "Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." --Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004) For me, writing funny often emerges out of not-so-funny s...[Read Full Post] Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:18:22 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/628511 [Image #1199455] "You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone, which can become a watered-down, occasional hope that you'll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless." --CAROLINE MYSS With the New Year already under way, let's talk about our writing goals. What a...[Read Full Post] Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:47:48 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/626485 [Image #1487357] Hey There: I'm Robin, and I'll be your guest editor for this week's Mystery Newsletter. Life is a Mystery ... Unfold it..." - unknown author Unfolding your mystery is easier than you think. The cool thing about the mystery genre is how the plo...[Read Full Post] Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:18:34 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/625354 [Image #1339725] "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." Walt Disney How Did I Get Here? Plot, a.k.a. ...[Read Full Post] Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:00:02 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/620645 [Image #1339813] First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him! - Ray Bradbury When we follow the hero, we follow the plot. As writers, we hope our plot is interesting, engaging, and, well let's be honest -the best plot ever written in the history of literature. You know, the one that will score us millions in book royalties...[Read Full Post] Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:14:57 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/614386 [Image #1031835] "Books aren't written, they're rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn't quite done it... " --Michael Crichton 1942 - 2008 Seven rewrites? Crichton, best known for books like The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, The Rising Sun to name a few, and also known as the creator of the Emmy-winning TV...[Read Full Post] Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:32:12 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/614353 [Image #1487357] HI, I'm Robin and I'll be your guest editor for this week's Comedy Newsletter [Image #1490086] With Halloween days away, I thought I'd hit on the mixing and blending of genres, scary/horror plus comedy. For me, funny/scary is ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:43:43 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/614246 [Image #1487357] Hi. I'm Robin, and I'll be your guest editor for this week's addition of the For Authors Newsletter. [Image #1195005] "Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader-not the fact that it is raining, bu...[Read Full Post] Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:45:47 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/613892 [Image #1131433] "Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. The adventure is a metaphysical one; it is a way of approaching life indirectly, of acquiring a total rather than a partial view of the universe. The writer lives between the upper and lower worlds: he takes the path in order eventually to become that path himself." Henry Miller The People in My Story The People in My Story *^*Laugh*^...[Read Full Post] Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:18:05 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/608481 [Image #1131433] Writing from your heart. You hear it all the time: Write what you know. Lots of experts agree, writing what you know, your job, your family life, your personal experiences, gives a realistic feel...a believable feel to your work. Readers like getting lost into works they understand and can follow. While many of us write for ourselves, most of us want a readership. Some...[Read Full Post] Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:23:00 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/608315 [Image #1311051] No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide. Chuck Palahniuk Battling Distractions I'm having a problem; it's malicious distraction, in the form of spider solitaire - the computer game just a mouse click away on my desktop. I've got deadlines to meet; a few wdc ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:34:48 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/607085 [Image #1339813] "Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand." -Neil Armstrong An important element in the Mystery Genre is "believability". For those who read mysteries, it's the strong desire and underlying curiosity that drives us forward through each page. We want to know; whodunit? Where? Why? How? We want details,...[Read Full Post] Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:31:57 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/604544 [Image #1311051] When you are describing a shape, or sound, or tint; Don't state the matter plainly, But put it in a hint; And learn to look at all things With a sort of mental squint --Lewis Carroll On Foreshadowing On Foreshadowing...[Read Full Post] Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:57:39 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/603291 [Image #1339813] There is no dark side of the moon, really. As a matter of fact, it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun. Gerry Driscoll, Pink Floyd, "Eclipse", The Dark Side of the Moon Symbolize This ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:05:00 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/602202 [Image #932183] "All you can eat tuna bar, here we come!" Give Me Funny For me, laughter eases pain, builds bridges, and softens hurt feelings. When given the choice between blood and gore of horror/scary, the death and pain of tragedy, or the giggle and grins of comedy, I choose funny. Adding comedy to your writ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:08:21 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/600345 [Image #1386373] I always turn to the sports pages first, which records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures. - Earl Warren HAVE A BALL With the Olympics around the corner, I thought I'd touch on a bit of action of ...[Read Full Post] Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:18:55 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/596504 [Image #1135183] Hi there! I'm Robin, and I'll be your guest editor for the Horror/Scary Newsletter this week. So, I'm not trying to discount advice from other authors who advocate the "make a plan" when it comes to writing horror/scary. I'd like to loosen the g...[Read Full Post] Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:15:47 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/596237 [Image #1419444] In the beginning... "Beginnings are always messy." -- John Galsworthy The beauty about being an author is the complete and utter control we have when creating our stories. Even when stories seem to "write themselves", we sit in the driver's seat turning the steering whee...[Read Full Post] Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:40:34 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/592769 [Image #1419444] Hiking. It's MY Action/Adventure! The Driving Forces of Action "All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire." Aristotle I sooo hate becoming debilitated with write...[Read Full Post] Sat, 31 May 2008 14:46:30 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/583952 [Image #1419444] Hiking. It's MY Action/Adventure! Hey everyone! Robin here, your newest editor for Action/Adventure. In last week's newsletter, we talked about slowing down our scenes by using frame-by-frame detail to create adrenaline rushing action scenes. This week, we&#...[Read Full Post] Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:29:13 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/581892