Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “On Writing”
Why, why, why is JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series so popular? What is it about her stories that capture us so, that make us—and roughly 500 million other readers—stand in line for days to get their hands on the latest 800-page offering?
Aside from the depth of characterization, the twisting,
There you are, you’ve got a blank computer screen, and the smallest tickle of an idea, something you’ve read, or seen, some question you think might be interesting tackled in a book. But where do you go from there? How do you turn a blip of an idea into a full novel,
It all started in Siberia . . . with a birthday greeting . . . from published author Susan K. Downs.
We all dream of that moment when someone “discovers” us and partners with our dreams.
Happy Birthday, Susie May. Would you like to write a book with me?
This year marks the tenth anniversary of my first novel being published. Happily Ever After came out in 2003 just as we returned home from the mission field in Russia, and I still remember staring wide eyed at the cover thinking…how on earth did this happen?
See the truth is that I never set out to get a book published.
Best-selling story will have a hero or heroine who is both strong . . . and damaged . . .
J.K.Rowling, John Grisham, Karen Kingsbury, Tom Clancy, Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkein, Robert Ludlum: all best-selling authors, from different genres, markets, even eras. How? What sets their stories apart from others that make them a must-buy for readers?
I get inspiration everywhere—the news, Facebook posts, sermons, radio talk shows, conversations. It’s always about a question, something that makes me think . . . what if?
I got the story about Izzy (My Foolish Heart), the talk show host to the lovelorn from a Brad Paisely song,
Just wanted to take this week’s blog post to thank you for all your support of It Had to be You! My publisher has been sending me reviews that have popped up over the past few weeks, and with each review I read, my smile grows wider and wider.
We did everything wrong, and by all rights, my son should have died. When the pain started, low on his right side, we put heat on it and gave him Tylenol, I also gave him a dihydrocodeine dosage. Because we lived in Russia and the medical situation sketchy, we decided to wait and see if perhaps he had an upset stomach.
We were sitting in the cold grass on a hill above the field, the temperature hovering near forty degrees, the air brisk and still enough to hear the screams as they lifted from the pile of high school football players.
Horrible, gut-wrenching screams, and the crowd went silent, our hearts in our throats as the coaches ran out from the sidelines.
I’ve spent years standing on the sidelines, in bitter cold, rain, sleet, gloom of night . . . and that’s just football. Add in hours in the gym bleachers, and then miles and miles in the car driving to track meets. More hours in the rain and cold, then hot sun . . . cheering.
