AmiMaxine

Pretober – Voice

When you think of point of view, think of the “central intelligence” of your story – it is the thing that operates the eyes, ears, memory, and revelations, the thing through which your narrative is sifted and makes its progress. It is indicated by the pronouns that we use. In first person, we use I/me.Continue reading “Pretober – Voice”

Pretober – Plotting

Kurt Vonnegut said, ‘I don’t plot my books rigidly, follow a preconceived structure. A novel mustn’t be a closed system – it’s a quest.’ Others, like the author of Room Emma Donoghue, prefer to have a guiding base structure. She notes that ‘Some writers can produce marvelous plots without planning it out, but I can’t.Continue reading “Pretober – Plotting”

Pretober – Setting

For some of you, when writing your stories, you may be doing more than just inventing characters and their lives. You may choose to take on creating a brand new, never before seen world for them to live in. The biggest piece of advice I can give you in this endeavor is just to makeContinue reading “Pretober – Setting”

Pretober – Characters

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, the best way to set yourself up to be successful for it is to do as much planning as you can now so that when you sit down to write 50K in 30 Days, you can just go go go. One thing we can plan inContinue reading “Pretober – Characters”

Goode versus Melville

In 2015, I got an idea for a YA superhero novel, and I sat down and wrote the first three pages. It was in first person and introduced Antony Melville – who wanted to be good despite coming from a long line of villains. I really loved writing the voice of it, and the ideaContinue reading “Goode versus Melville”

Love Letter for a Writing (and Reading) Buddy

I still remember when I took my first creative writing course in undergrad and the terror I felt when I learned about workshop and that we’d be doing this in class. Other people would read what I wrote. For the first time. Ever. In my life. And then talk about it in front of me.Continue reading “Love Letter for a Writing (and Reading) Buddy”

@m@zon @ds – part two

In continuing our conversation from last week – after launching an ad, you’ll receive an email letting you know it was submitted, including a note that the review process is usually completed within twenty-four hours (though could take up to three days). I received an email four hours later letting me know it was reviewedContinue reading “@m@zon @ds – part two”

@m@zon @ds – part one

At the recommendation of a friend, I signed up for a five day ad challenge. This particular challenge has six pre-recorded videos, some “homework” (I use the quotation marks because it’s really up to you if you do it or not, right?), and six live Q&A sessions. As with any free instruction, I was preparedContinue reading “@m@zon @ds – part one”

Green Bay Café Crawl: Part Two

Last week, I talked about five cafés in my city that I’ve been to before. For this week, I explored new places (four cafés, a tea house, and a spot I randomly stumbled onto). Crystal Coffee Café and Beanery*2625 Packerland DrMon – Fri 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Sat 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.; SunContinue reading “Green Bay Café Crawl: Part Two”

Green Bay Café Crawl: Part One

I’ve always loved a good coffee shop. It’s my vibe, I guess. I prefer a local shop, preferably with mismatched furniture, plates, and mugs. Local art on the walls. A place where you can sit and study or read or write for hours. My first love from these experiences was and will always be chaiContinue reading “Green Bay Café Crawl: Part One”