Creating Focus for Your Writing

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have a large number of writing projects on the go. Every time I turn around, there’s another idea that pops into my head that calls my attention. However, one needs to find a way to focus their writing efforts, so they actually complete their projects.

Developing focus is one of the topics that I have found myself talking about with my mentoring clients and in my personal writing groups. There seems to be a general consensus. If you are wanting to eventually turn your writing into a way of making a living, you need to tackle this issue by compartmentalizing your writing.

Let me explain further.
Read More→

Writing to Become a Published Writer

Most writers start their journeys with the idea that they will eventually become published. That is an admirable goal and one that I support wholeheartedly. There will be a few who have no desire to head down that path, and I support that decision too. Writing is a journey that is different for everyone.

However, for those determined to one day be published, be it self-published or traditionally published, there is a particular mindset that you will need to develop. This is just a few things that you will need to do to the help you on your journey toward the road of success.

Pictographic Deadly Skills

I'm always on the hunt for reference materials that I can use to help me understand either how characters think, or how to describe certain scenarios within my personal writing. Finding those books that help me to get the details right when blowing things up is a gold mine (pun intended).

As a thriller writer whose favorite characters to write are assassins, I was bouncing up and down in excitement when I encountered 100 Deadly Skills by Clint Emerson. And its companion, 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition, is just as awesome.

They are two books that have found their way onto the list of recommended books for writers from the Black Wolf Editor, and here's why.

Assassins, Spies and SAS. Oh My…

In a recent post, Fight Scenes: Instinct & Perspectives, I spoke about emotional engagement and the perspectives used for writing fight scenes. I touched on fight-or-flight, and how a writer can use that to their advantage. However, I also spoke about believability. If elements of your fight scene delve into the unbelievable, you will lose your reader.

While most people are able to easily visualize how the average Joe will respond in a fight, what their actions would be, and their capabilities, there is one type of fighter that is often used within fight scenes that majority of people can't truly relate to.

I'm talking about those characters who are highly trained to be assassins, spies and special forces soldiers (or SAS, as they are known in some countries). While all of these characters will have different backgrounds and different skill sets, there will be commonalities to the way they behave. Their reactions to a given situation can almost be predicted.

Facebook Settings that Your Phone Forgot to Tell You About

Note to reader: This blog post was originally written in 2018. Some settings have moved and changed names. I have done what I can to update this post with the interfaces that were present in November 2022, but some things might not be entirely accurate anymore.

Facebook seems to be on a security breach, hole plug mode, with new updates and new features that are constantly coming online. (And some settings are disappearing.) I am updating this post as I discover more settings. If you desire, you can just skip to the updates and the new settings that I've found.

Unless you have been hiding in a hole somewhere, and NOT on Facebook, then you will know about the blowup that is going on about how the Facebook app seems to be accessing information from outside its app — in particular contact details. It's not surprising that people are all up in arms over this. This sort of information should be private, and Facebook should only be accessing information that we've given them permission to access.

Cue the evil doer music, because... Guess what... You did give permission for Facebook to access that information when you installed the Facebook or Facebook Messenger app on your phone. And permission wasn't given by installing the app. Permission was given by a hidden setting that syncs your contact details on your phone with Facebook. Here's the kicker... The setting is set to ON by default — sort-of.

There is actually a dialog that asks if you want to sync your contacts, but the only options it gives is Learn More and OK. How is the average user supposed to know that buried at the bottom of the Learn More option is a tiny Not Now link? So most people hit OK, and presto... You just gave Facebook permission to access your contacts list.

But not all hope is lost. Here's how you can change it, and remove your contracts list from Facebook, without uninstalling the apps — not that uninstalling the apps would remove your contacts list from Facebook anyway.

Fight Scenes: Instinct & Perspective

Recently, I have found myself in multiple situations where I’ve been shoulder-tapped to look over the fight scenes of others. It’s ironic that I’ve developed a knack (and a love) for those action-pumping scenes that often result in carnage and death. I’ve come a long way since my husband’s single feedback line of my high fantasy novel (feedback given nearly 8 years ago now): “Your fight scenes suck.”

(Geez… Love you too, hubby.)

However, as much as that original critique strung, I persevered, and analyzed to death what makes a good fight or action scene. (Pun intended.) Now, nearly 8 years later, those action-filled scenes that get the heart pumping pour out of me with ease—and the body count rises significantly.

When Newsletters and Blogs Find the Trash

I subscribed to a range of blogs and newsletters from a variety of sources. Recently, because of the sheer number of subscriptions that I have, I've starting clearing out these emails using my smartphone. There has been a trend to my behavior, and it is formulaic.

For some emails, I just hit delete, never getting past the subject line. Other emails, I skim through to the end, and still hit delete. There are a few that I'll actually click the links and read more.

Everyone will have their own criteria for hitting the delete button, and it really can be as simple as a mood factor. However, there appears to be some things that I honestly believe are person-independent.

Maybe it's time to break this right down.

15 Seconds an Email

Recently, I decided to run a little experiment, and recorded the results. I recorded how I reacted to certain newsletters and blog subscriptions that were delivered to my inbox.

It might sound boring, but trust me, you might find it enlightening.

17 minutes to go through 66 emails. That's an average 15 seconds an email. Of those 66 emails, only 11 survived in my inbox to be looked at later. 3 were marked as share with others, and 2 were flagged to look at in more detail. But of 66 emails, only 1 was actually read while checking emails (off screen, of course). That's not good odds for the carefully constructed message that found its way into my inbox. However, what you might find surprising is that majority of the deleted emails found the trash because the distribution list provider sent the emails in a format that I couldn't read on my iPhone.

Take a look at the sped up footage. I'm willing to bet that you go through your emails just as fast, if not faster.

Show the story. Tell the ride through the countryside.

Show the emotions. Show the setting. Show the complexities of your mind. Show this. Show that.

Oh, before I forget, tell that ride through the countryside. Tell that little backstory through dialogue. Tell the oral history.

When does one use tell? Should I always show? At what point is it too much show and not enough tell?

Show. Show. Show. Tell. Tell. Tell. It can seriously do your head in.

Understanding the difference between the two is one thing. Striking a balance between them to keep your reader engaged is another. For the moment, let's focus on the first issue.

A Thesaurus Series for Showy Writers

Many writers are familiar with the mantra of Show, Don’t Tell. Exactly what it means is a subject that is up for debate, and not what this post is about. Nope. This post is looking at a few resources for writers that are designed to help writers show their stories.

I am talking about the Thesaurus series by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

Let me start by saying that I’m not getting anything out of promoting these books. They are on my list of recommended books for writers, because I honestly feel that they are brilliant resources that every writer serious about writing fiction should invest in. Let me explain why.