Pretty much anyone who knows me knows I curse like a sailor. I don't necessarily do it all the time, and I try to control the worst of it when I'm around kids (or certain old people I respect who really don't like it). But yeah, I enjoy a well-turned foul-phrase. This doesn't make me a badass. It doesn't make me anything really, other than a woman who likes to curse.
Actually, scratch that. It's not so much that I like to curse, just that I do. As a general rule, I don't think about swearing, I just do.
Point of fact? A lot of my friends curse a metric fuck-ton too.
So why is it that there is some strange "rule" that characters in fiction shouldn't curse?Read more
Lately I've been writing a lot. I went through a stage where I'd kind of lost the joy of it, as everyone does now and then. So I feel particularly blessed to have rediscovered the almost maniacal frenzy of creating a self-induced experience that others can ultimately enjoy too. It's a rush. Because when you're really in the zone, it doesn't feel like a story you're making up, it's more like an experience you're having. But that can be addicting, and hard to let go of once you write THE END.Read more
I distinctly remember writing the opening scene (that takes place outside the main narrative) huddled over my PC keyboard. Shaking. Stomach churning. Crying. I had a few beers to loosen up, some liquid courage.
Creative insults and abuse are something I'm pondering at the moment, as I'm writing a sequel, and revisiting an old character known for his volatility.Read more
Another post recycled from my blog today, as even though I remembered this morning that I needed to write a post, I forgot again. My mind is a sieve. Anywho, I'm currently proof reading an old 70's fantasy series, and it got me thinking about this topic again.
And so I give you...a blog about fantasy names!Read more
The burden of a writer is to find new ways to say the same old thing. Which can be quite a challenge, but lucky for us, there is a lovely little thing called a thesaurus. Words, words, words. Take your pick and mix it up.
But be warned, my friends, because as a very wise man once said, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”Read more
I've been having a lot of chats about money making with my writer friends lately. And that's perfectly acceptable. Because we're friends, and we privately decide to discuss money in a way that makes us comfortable. We share the same profession, and understand what the bloody hell we're talking about when we discuss money, royalties etc., and it's our choice to share thoughts with each other.
But often, for a writer, money talk is NOT our choice.Read more
My last post was about writing believable sex scenes. No matter how good or bad the sex is, it's still consensual, and therefore easier to write. Now I want to talk about non-consensual sex scenes, aka rape scenes. Yikes.Read more
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