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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Like many aspiring writers I have stories hidden away, lying in musty electronic directories or stuffed in dusty drawers. When inspiration struck they seemed brilliant or revolutionary, but after the last word was written and the new-story smell stared to fade, I realized I was left with a lemon, clanking prose and belching smoky [...]
Startup Stock Photos As a first step in my journey to being a writer I joined the South Jersey Writers' Group (SJWG) at the end of 2015. It is an amazing organization, run by outstanding leadership. The members are friendly and helpful, and everyone I have ever interacted with has been [...]
