Books are many things: lullabies for the weary. ointment for the wounded. armour for the fearful, and nests to those in need of home. Glenda Millard, The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Jessica Page Morrell' Category
NaNoWriMo Week 2: How’s your ANTAGONIST coming along?
Well, I made it through the election, champagne and all. I’ve been working with a historical fiction writer, writing, chopped and simmered another batch of soup–Italian wedding, picked more late-harvest tomatoes, visited an art show that has stayed within me, walked amid the golden colors of this ongoing autumn, and have started shopping for the […]
Read the rest of this entry »NaNoWriMo Writers: plotting suggestions
A few suggestions: Don’t edit–this is a first-draft mad dash. Remember your story is essentially a problem that needs solving. Not your problem, the protagonist’s problem. Keep asking yourself ‘what’s the worst thing that can happen next?’ Remember you’re sending your protagonist into new emotional and physical territory. Start at least one subplot. This subplot typically […]
Read the rest of this entry »NaNoWriMo prep: consider your story’s overall atmosphere
Yesterday there was a break in the rains and I managed more yard clean-up. I tossed out two large hanging plants with relief since I started watering them in May. Still more plants to care for, but they’re blooming away. I want to recommend another starting place for fiction or as part of your preparations: […]
Read the rest of this entry »NaNoWriMo Writers: Getting to know your main characters, part 2
More rain around here, but I managed to get in a few walks over the weekend including trails at the Hoyt Arboretum, or Portland’s Museum of Trees. If I could offer a single piece of advice about creating characters it would be this: Take risks with your main characters. Make them stand out from the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Prepping for NaNoWriMo–Follow the Yellow Brick Road; or start with a one-of-a kind, unstoppable character
It’s raining here, but we’ve had the most glorious spate of Indian Summer weather and the amber, lemon, and copper colors continue to bejewel the trees. I’m cleaning up the yard, moving plants, and planting bulbs. And hallelujah, I’m back to cooking hearty food–soups, stews, and a big batch of Beef Bourguignon and mashed potatoes […]
Read the rest of this entry »Walt Whitman on the secret of writing
The secret of it all, is to write in the gush, the throb, the flood, of the moment–to put things down without deliberation–without deliberation–without worrying about their style –without waiting for a fit time or place. I always worked that way. I kept the first scrap of paper, the first doorstep, the first desk, and […]
Read the rest of this entry »Fiction Mastery workshop December 1 in beautiful Manzanita, OR
No matter where you’re at in your writing career, this workshop will give you insights that create a more nuanced, polished, and compelling story. And it takes place at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita, one of the most charming towns on the Oregon coast. You’ll find the details for payment and registration here. Crafting a novel is a […]
Read the rest of this entry »For what it’s worth; it’s never too late from F. Scott Fitzgerald
For what it’s worth; it’s never too late, or in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope […]
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