Improving Your Character’s Voice

Lately I've been working on my... third? draft of Uncommon, the novel I wrote during my month-long residency in New Orleans back in February. I'll admit, I've been having a rough time of it. You see, I wrote this book very, very quickly. I'm now wondering if that was the greatest idea, or if I...

3 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block is a big topic and one that I’ve touched on before and will likely come back to again. The problem with writer’s block is that there isn’t just one cause for it and for that reason, there can be no one-size-fits-all blanket solutions. So the first step to overcoming writer’s block if you...

Hey… Life Happens. That’s OK.

As writers we’re often encouraged to write every day and to make deadlines and stick to them, but there are times in our lives where putting our writing first can be an unhealthy mindset.  Which is why I tell people write everyday, where possible. Notice the caveat. Sometimes it isn’t possible to write everyday. Or...

Where My Ideas Come From

"Where do you get your ideas?" I get this question all the time. People don't understand how I have written over ten books and how I keep coming up with ideas for more. Ideas though, are the easy part. And not just for books, I also get ideas for short stories, video games, board games,...

Real Talk: Writer’s Block

In honour of the new year, Adam and I sit down to have a casual heart to heart about the very serious topic of writer's block. What it is, how it affects writers, how to work through it, and tips on how you can prevent it. So, sit back and grab a cup of cocoa...

It’s all about Perspective; MW News

This week on Mirror World News, Adam Giles and I discuss the different points of view you can use to write your manuscript. We also have a surprise guest joining us. Here's the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HJOEj5j8H8 Point of View is the perspective you tell your story from. Typically an author can choose from 1st person or...

Plotters, Pantsers, and Plantsers? Oh My!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnKN2Y0pMfs This week's episode of M/W News focuses on plotting and pantsing. But what do these terms mean? Plotters: Plot Plan first Research Stay Organized Keep Notes Pantsers: Write on the fly Roleplay Create intuitively Improvise Keep Mental Notes  

MW News: How to Start Writing

If you want to write a book, but you don't know how to get started, we've got an episode of Mirror World News just for you! This week Adam Giles and I tackle the beginning of a new writing project and the important question of how you actually put pen to paper, or fingers to...

How to co-write your novel

Murandy Damodred and I wrote our fantasy / romantic comedy novel, Uncharted, together. This is not our first co-written novel. In fact, it’s our fifth, so we’ve got a system worked out. There are lots of ways to divide the work, but here's our method: First we split up the characters: Since we write primarily...

My Love Affair with Writing

I am often confronted by the question, ‘why do I write?’ and I don’t feel the answer is one that is easily put into words. Yet, despite not having an easy answer to this question, I know for certain that I have to write. I would feel incomplete without it. So why is that? Well...