Writing Friends

Friends who write. Friends who critique. Friends who cheer you up and give you pep talks. They're the best!

Here's an interview just posted by my friend Helen Hemphill.  As she notes, I met her a while back, as we both might be inclined to say, at the excellent Rutgers One-on-One Conference. That would be New Jersey, where I happened to be living.
The way I remember it was that we were possibly the only two Southerners in the entire auditorium at the start of our day. And we found each other. After that, we both signed up for a terrific Highlights Founders weekend with Carolyn Coman. Possibly one of the best writing treats you can give yourself, by the way.



I love Helen's books (my favorite might be Long Gone Daddy- so funny and so beautifully written), and I was honored when she asked if she could interview me about my own first novel.  

Here it is! Click right here. 

Related post: Writing/ plotting is Hard Work

Plotting, Structuring, Figuring it All Out

I think writing is hard work. Writing fiction is really hard work. I may give it up any day now. But before I do, I'm figuring it out. So I've been spending time reading Helen Hemphill's checklists over at Through the Tollbooth. Trying to put her plotting tips into action. Because I know how smart she is and how good her books are.

And yesterday I ran across this by James Scott Bell, on one of those many writing emails I frequently delete. The Q-Factor! How brilliant. Sneak your tricks in before you need them. Don't wait till you actually need the cufflink that turns into a saw to show your character wearing it.
Bell knows how to explain things so well that most everybody will get it.