Archive for July 2015
The importance of backstory in your fiction
Over at the excellent Writers in the Storm blog, author Kathryn Craft has an excellent post entitled Backstory matters. Backstory is one of those controversial issues today. While you certainly don’t want to dump all of a character’s backstory into the opening chapter (since it tends to slow down the pace), you do need to…
Read MoreSpectacular views from the Yellowstone Lake Overlook trail
Last week I wrote about beautiful Yellowstone Lake. My family and I enjoyed staying at a lodge on the edge of this lake on our visit to Yellowstone National Park last summer. This week, I wanted to point out the pleasant and easy Lake Overlook trail, which is a must-see if your travel plans take…
Read MoreEven more favorite summer reading so far … The Seven Sisters
Wow, I picked this up in the book store after falling in love with the cover (shallow, I know) and the sound of the story. I’m glad I did. I’d never heard of Irish author Lucinda Riley before reading this novel. I always have a soft spot for two separate yet linked narratives, one in…
Read MoreAlong the shores of Yellowstone Lake
We had a great time last summer on our trip to the US. As part of our vacation, we spent ten days out west in Great Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. At Yellowstone, we stayed at a park lodge on the edge of Yellowstone Lake, and used this as a base for exploring…
Read MoreHow do you keep track of your story ideas?
Over at the excellent Nathan Bransford blog, there was a great question for authors: How do you keep track of your ideas? This isn’t as easy as it might seem. Writers are – by their very nature- daydreamers, and they may have lots of ideas flitting around in their heads at any one time. Any…
Read MoreI want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike … in Vienna
Last month I was on a weekend trip with my two sons for a family event in Vienna. Long ago, I briefly lived in this city, and I’m always happy to return. One thing that many visitors may not realize is that Vienna is a great city to see by bike. The city boasts over…
Read MoreFavorite summer reading so far … Big Little Lies
The summer is still young – or at least that’s how I choose to look at it since my vacation (read: peak reading time) comes later in the summer – but my favorite read so far is Big Little Lies by Australian author Liane Moriarty. I discovered Moriarty this year with The Husband’s Secret and…
Read MoreMedieval Tuscany: Abbadia di San Salvatore
I discovered this medieval gem in Tuscany when my younger son went to a track and field camp in this little town this summer. Abbadia San Salvatore is a small town in the Valdorcia, nestled at the foot of Monte Amiata (Amiata Mountain), off of the Via Cassia between Orvieto and Sienna. It’s a beautiful spot,…
Read MoreMaking room for your writing
This helpful article was in the last issue of Writer’s Digest. Its author is the women’s fiction novelist Amy Sue Nathan, who also hosts the popular Women’s Fiction Writers blog. Nathan offers some helpful insight into how to carving out time and space for your writing, even in the midst of the overwhelming demands of…
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