Category: Uncategorized

Author Study: Genevieve Cogman, Writing in 3rd Person

~ Kathryn Fletcher

I found this beautiful book called The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. That began this whole fascination with stories about books and libraries. Irene is the main character, and she works for The Library–a place between alternate versions of Earth. There are numerous versions of Earth, most of which contain the usual famous authors throughout time, but sometimes in some versions of Earth, writers like Shakespeare, for example, writes an extra play. These works unique to that world are very valuable, as you might imagine. Irene’s job as a Librarian for The Library is to collect these unique books, which strengthens the Libraries ties to that version of Earth. But it is never as simple as a smash and grab. No. There are Dragons and Fae which get in her way. All the while, the mortal humans are none the wiser. Cogman tells the stories quite well. I just finished book 5. Normally, I don’t read past book 1 or maybe 2 of a series. I tire of series books easily. Cogman is the exception and has captured my heart with her stories. And I want to learn how she does it! more...

9 Fiction Writing Brainstorm Techniques

~ Kathryn Fletcher

Do you ever fear that you will run out of ideas? I am not one who has a million ideas jostling for paper time. I have a number of unfinished short stories that could use my attention. But I'm not busting at the seams full of ideas... yet when it comes time to write, I don't usually have too much trouble coming up with a story. You might be like me, or you might be the kind of writer brimming full of ideas. Both are okay. Both come with their own set of problems. Often people full of ideas have trouble focusing on one story. They will often have stacks and stacks of unfinished stories. We'll talk about that another day. Today I want to focus on idea generation and brainstorming. Often my best ideas don't come while I'm at my desk; they come in the shower or in the car. If you are curious about why, check out this article. In pre-pandemic days I used to drive to work for 40 minutes with traffic, which gave me a lot of time to think. Exercise is a good idea generator, unless like me, you are allergic to exercise.

Setting–Planning Your Story and Editing Your Scenes

~ Kathryn Fletcher ~ 1 Comment

What is a setting? Your elementary school English teacher probably said it’s the where and when of a story. True. But as a writer, we know that the setting is more than just the where and when. The weather and social climate can also be part of the setting. It can be to mood and emotions that the characters can’t express. It can be pure beauty, when a great writer and reader are paired up. The setting can speak to our souls as much as any character. It can make the reader long to live in that little cottage in the woods surrounded by fairies or in the bustling 1920’s city of Chicago. The setting can be so alive that it feels like a character in and of itself.

Linking an eBook Series Using KDP

~ Kathryn Fletcher

Today I have a guest author for this post. Maggie Foster is a member of my writing group and a dear friend! I interviewed her for my book, From Rough Draft to Published. She mentored me through publishing process. She writes mysteries and currently has four books out. Linking an eBook Series Using KDP CONGRATULATIONS! You have a book (or two, or three) in a series, published through Kindle Direct Publishing and available on Amazon, and you know your readers will want an easy way to find the rest of them, no matter what book they pick up first. The keyword in that sentence is, “easy.” Now that Indie Publishing has taken off, some experts estimate there are more than two million new books published every year. That’s a lot of books for a reader to wade through to find yours. Luckily, KDP anticipated the need and has developed a Series Page for authors to use to link books in a series. What’s more, it’s automatic. You don’t even have to set it up yourself.

Writing Health

~ Kathryn Fletcher

Lots of people have talked about the mental toll this pandemic quarantine is taking on them. It has been pretty brutal on most everybody. I'm not going to talk about that though because I can't add anything to the conversation that hasn't already been said. I will however, talk about the physical toll this pandemic has taken on me and probably many others.