3 01, 2018

IWSG- Shooting for the Moon- Goal setting in 2018

By |2018-01-03T20:34:02-05:00January 3rd, 2018|Life, Writing|13 Comments

Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the IWSG's purpose is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! To join, simply sign up by clicking [...]

18 09, 2017

Author Toolbox: Character Creation- Building from Clichés

By |2018-05-03T13:49:08-05:00September 18th, 2017|Writing|26 Comments

Over years of playing role-playing games, I have interacted with a gamut of players and their characters. It let me see vastly different personalities acted out and character backgrounds I would have never conceived on my own. I also saw repeated characters and trope-ridden backgrounds. At one game another player even had the same [...]

14 08, 2017

Author Toolbox Blog Hop: Not Breaking Because You Need a Break

By |2018-03-02T22:39:32-05:00August 14th, 2017|Writing|16 Comments

Due to personal stresses, it has been difficult to find the time, the enthusiasm, or the energy to write the past couple months. Part of me dreads putting this post up, but struggling is part of the process and maybe sharing my personal challenges lately might help someone through theirs. If you are like [...]

19 07, 2017

Author Toolbox Blog Hop: Article Listing

By |2017-07-19T16:29:40-05:00July 19th, 2017|Writing|9 Comments

Although I will not be adding a piece this month to the Author Toolbox Blog Hop, I wanted to share the great content produced by my fellow hoppers. Blog hopping is a great way to connect and learn from other writers and bloggers and Raimey Gallant's Author Toolbox has some amazing people involved. There are articles [...]

19 06, 2017

Author Toolbox: Character Creation- Beginning with Personality

By |2018-03-02T22:29:15-05:00June 19th, 2017|Writing|13 Comments

In tournament role-playing games, the vast majority of my experiences were playing with strangers. However, I loved the opportunity to play with friends or family. Collaboratively creating characters with intertwined stories is one of the things I think I miss the most when writing. When writing your own story, you miss out on the [...]

15 05, 2017

Author Toolbox: Character Creation- Starting from Backstory

By |2018-03-02T22:38:08-05:00May 15th, 2017|Writing|38 Comments

My experience with developing rich, complex backgrounds is due in large part to my brother’s influence. Frank always insisted on developing how your character got to the start of the game. Why are they a warrior or a mage? Who taught them? What else did they learn? Even with my first character, after the [...]

17 04, 2017

Author Toolbox: Character Creation- From RPGs to Writing

By |2018-03-02T22:27:05-05:00April 17th, 2017|Writing|31 Comments

Unlike many writers, I was not a natural reader. Honestly, I only read for school assignments. Perhaps, it was jealousy over the thrall books seemed to have over my brothers, whose attention was supposed to be focused on me. (Yes, I was the youngest and only girl.) I even managed to misplace five copies [...]

11 09, 2016

Remembering the Canine Heroes of 9/11

By |2016-11-30T19:42:56-05:00September 11th, 2016|Dogs|1 Comment

On this day of solemn remembrance, it is only fitting we honor all the heroes of September 11, 2001. This year the last surviving search and rescue dog who responded passed away. Bretagne (pronounced Brit-nee) along with hundreds of other search and rescue dogs helped scour the wreckage for survivors in both New York and [...]

3 09, 2016

Taking the plunge to find balance on National Writing Date Day

By |2016-11-30T19:42:28-05:00September 3rd, 2016|Life, Writing|2 Comments

When I was a kid I always jumped straight in the pool not even considering to check the temperature. Although I might check the waters when it comes to pursuing a goal, once I commit I leap in. The commitments start with invigorating rush just like the moment of flying through the air before [...]