Do you ever feel uncomfortable as you stare at the cursor on the screen or the blank line in your notebook? I do ALL the time!
Here’s the thing. I love writing. But before each writing session, I struggle with discomfort.
I've been reading romance novels since I was thirteen. Sure, some say that's young, but I have no regrets. I would buy old Harlequin paperbacks at flea markets. They were typically from the 70s and early 80s--very clean and intriguing! I was hooked. I still read a lot of romance…
This post was originally published on November 28, 2011 at https://jillkemerer.blogspot.com/. I recently read a novel but struggled to get into the story. Each time I put it down, I had no desire to pick it back up. Tempted to stop reading, I decided to forge ahead and figure out…
Are you making your list and checking it twice? No, I'm not talking about your Christmas list--I'm talking about your writer's wish list! And you can make one whether you're naughty or nice. *wink* As we reach the end of another year, I like to take inventory of the practical…
Scenes build stories. How you begin and end them can mean the difference between a reader finishing your novel or tossing it aside. When you're writing, it's fine to put down whatever comes to mind so your brain can push through and get the draft on paper. But when you're…
I was at the library last week--shocking, I know--and came across a delightful book in the new nonfiction section. Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff Vandermeer has an engaging, whimsical cover, and I had to pick it up. With stunning graphics, author essays, and entertaining chapter subheadings, Wonderbook was…
On Saturday I gave a presentation at the Researching the Romance academic conference (#BGSURomCon18) hosted by the Browne Pop Culture Library at Bowling Green State University, which happens to be the official repository for Romance Writers of America (RWA). It was an amazing conference. I learned so much from professors, university…
One thing I love about internal conflict is that a character recognizes she is emotionally protecting herself from something and thinks she knows why, but as the story progresses, she realizes the reason goes deeper. Until she's willing to be vulnerable and admit the emotional walls she's erected are stifling…
Last Thursday was a bad writing day. After lunch, I threw my hands in the air and suppressed a scream. I knew where the story needed to go, but I wasn't sure how to get there. I had several scenes to write before my next "sure" scene. Everything inside me…
Last weekend I was blessed to speak at Maumee Valley Romance Writers, Inc. Every January we have our annual goals discussion. The first half of my talk was about basic goal-setting: taking time to think about professional, health, emotional and personal goals for the year and deciding how and when…