And that's how it is when you write.

Woke up this morning inspired, opened up the computer and zipped out the plot line to another book. Book #5 has officially started. I guess that means I should finish #3 and #4. When will this end? Will I ever be free of this hobby? I think I'm making myself crazy.

That's Life and Good Stuff for a Book

I'm always learning new things. It's been apparent to me for quite some time that someone I have positive friendly feelings toward may not have the same feelings for me. But today it dawned on me that not only can someone I like not be too crazy with me but they could actually be seeing me as their enemy.

Unfortunately I'm learning this vicariously through the experience of a dear friend of mine but I can look back on my own life and see that it's true.

But I still maintain the right to feel how I will feel toward others regardless of how they feel about me! So just know I'm going to like you whether or not you like me back even if you're nasty and there's nothing you can do about it, because I like people - even nasty ones! I guess I just don't have it in me to hate people.

When people are mean it makes me think they are depressed or sad or having a bad day so sometimes it's a bit of a shake up when I realize they are deliberately and sneakily trying to sabotage someone else.

Having said all this, it sure makes good fodder for a book! I'm feeling inspired! I'll have to write about a deliberate, sneaky person and see what happens.

Writing Badly Part Three: Boring Your Reader

I know it's taken a while to get to the next segment on our writing badly series and I apologize to all the budding new authors out there who needed some more direction on how to make their novel really stink, but I usually don't post unless I'm unusually ill and bored out of my mind and it's taken awhile for my bad health to take it's toll this time. I guess I'm just incurably optimistic.

Today I want to talk about repetition. This is the best way to bore your reader. There are several methods you can use:

1. Have your character think something, say what they thought, then think about what they said.

2. Tell us what's about to happen, show it to us, then tell us what just happened

3. Write a scene from one character's perspective, switch characters and show the exact same scene again from that character's perspective - trust me on this one, it will bring your story to a dead stand still.

As a bonus - make a scene extra boring in these ways:

1. Use as many passive sentences as you possibly can.

2. Tell us everything, show us nothing.

3. Assume your reader is stupid and state the obvious.

4. Interrupt any action that might be taking place. You can do this by describing something or expressing someone's thoughts, or by putting dialog where it shouldn't be - get creative! There are many ways to interrupt action.

Any of these methods are guaranteed to make your story dry as toast. Try them all and you won't have any readers at all! Just think of the possibilities!