MARJORIE THELEN
  • About Marjorie
  • WINGS TO SOAR
  • Wings of the Dawn
  • Wings of the Wind
  • Mystery Novels
  • Sci Fi Novels
  • Blog
  • Other Works
    • Some Poems
    • Oregon Encyclopedia
  • Past Events
    • Finish the Book Workshop
    • Selvitella Workshops
    • Publish the Book
  • Contact
  • Hidden - Other Works Previous
  • Hidden - Books
    • Deovolante Space Opera Series
    • The Forty Column Castle
    • The Hieroglyphic Staircase
    • Designer Detective
    • High Desert Detective
    • Hoodoo Canyon
  • About Marjorie
  • WINGS TO SOAR
  • Wings of the Dawn
  • Wings of the Wind
  • Mystery Novels
  • Sci Fi Novels
  • Blog
  • Other Works
    • Some Poems
    • Oregon Encyclopedia
  • Past Events
    • Finish the Book Workshop
    • Selvitella Workshops
    • Publish the Book
  • Contact
  • Hidden - Other Works Previous
  • Hidden - Books
    • Deovolante Space Opera Series
    • The Forty Column Castle
    • The Hieroglyphic Staircase
    • Designer Detective
    • High Desert Detective
    • Hoodoo Canyon
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Writers Write Blog​
The most difficult part of writing is writing

Picture
Midnight
PictureFairchild
Fairchild and Midnight are my two writer buddies. They supply inspiration. The Muse likes them.

9/14/2012 0 Comments

The Final Edit

Every word of your book does not have to be perfect. If you strive for perfection, you'll never publish the book. It some point you have to take a deep breath and plunge in. Publish the book. Readers will be reading for story, not the perfect word.
0 Comments

9/14/2012 1 Comment

First Draft

When you are writing a first draft don't worry about getting the exact word the first time. Keep going. You'll get it in the re-writes. Then it becomes fun trying to find the exact word to express the scene, thought, character. I've even change 'the' to 'a' to get a fine point.
1 Comment

9/4/2012 0 Comments

Writer's block doesn't exist

I think the whole idea of writer's block is vastly over rated. I come up sometimes to places in the story that seem like a deadend. Slight panic dances around my fingers as I think that the story is going nowhere. Yes, this happens. But I ask the question:  What do I want to know next about this character or about where the story is going?  Usually, it get me off dead center and I keep going. Sometimes I just say to myself, just write something. Anything. Dribble.  Get off dead center. Write a totally unrelated scene. Write something and write every day.
0 Comments

9/4/2012 0 Comments

Use grammar to sculpt the story

I have likened the creation of a novel to sculpture. One has a story idea and at first it is more like a blob. Then as one writes, details appear, high and low points occur, the novel takes shape and becomes something tangible. As I was writing this week, I realized how much grammar can help shape the story. I find commas very exciting.  I try not to use hyphens and colons. Semi-colons are weak and don't look nice, although Patrick O'brien used them very effectively. Adverbs are the lazy approach to writing. When I am re-writing I try to use adverbs only when they are absolutely essential to the sense of the sentence. I could go on, but learning grammar sometimes takes years of writing. A good novelist knows their grammar.
0 Comments

9/4/2012 0 Comments

Never write a novel for the money

I have said this before, but it bears reiterating. Don't write thinking your are going to make a living writing, especially not novels. There is little money in novel writing. Write for creativity. It will be much more emotional fulfilling for you. And if you happen to make money in the process, well, that's a little bonus. Write to explore creativity.
0 Comments

9/4/2012 0 Comments

Get a novel buddy

Several months ago I connected with my novel buddy, Terry. We meet once a week to read and exchange hard copy of our Works in Progress (WIP).  It has been a tremendous help to both of us. Terry was writing the same novel for a long time and not getting very far. She's now written over 100 pages. I am working on a mystery set where I live and since Terry used to write for the local newspaper she has been an invaluable resource for ideas about the local culture and people.  She can also see character relationships better than I.  I can't emphacize enough how important it is to have a writing partner that you meet with on a weekly basis.
0 Comments

9/4/2012 0 Comments

Like something about every page you write

As I was re-writing this week, I realized that there are some pages I don't like, or that I don't find particularly interesting. If I don't like them, how can I expect my readers to like them. Those are going to be the pages the reader will skip, that will take them out of the story and then they put the book down and never finish it. So my advice is:   like every page that you write. If not, get rid of it. That said, I will follow my own advice.
0 Comments

9/4/2012 1 Comment

Another 1 percent

I used Jane Kirkpatrick's quote on my home page, that only 1% of the people who say they are going to write a book ever do.  That was an eye opener for me and it got me to thinking. When I go to conferences I always like to ask people I meet what they are writing. So often they say, well, I'm writing a novel. But it turns out they've been writing this novel forever.  That's why I decided to put together a course called "Finish the Book".  In these posts I've tried to describe my writing process and have found it helps others. These posts will be the backbone for the workshop.
1 Comment

    Author

    I'm a serious writer, meaning I have a regular daily writing habit, and I'm interested in sharing my work through publication.  My favorite literary form is the novel. I write to entertain myself and my readers.

    Archives

    January 2025
    November 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    March 2024
    October 2023
    July 2023
    March 2023
    August 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    May 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    February 2018
    July 2017
    May 2016
    June 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly