Welcome to Tricks of the Trade, the section dedicated to the craft of writing. If you're an aspiring writer, or someone merely curious about the whole messy creative process, I hope you will enjoy this page. Below is an overview of each available writing article; also is this section are two lecture series. You can download all the articles and lectures as pdf files. This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Don't have it? Download the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
Please note: Once you click on an article name, there will be a slight delay while the article downloads.
Articles A Writer's Blessing
Being married to an Irishman, I spend a great deal of time staring at the various copies of An Irish Blessing, found throughout our house. Fortunately, it's a beautiful verse, well worth reading.
Then one day it occurred to me that writers could use a blessing, too. So I adapted the Irish Blessing into the following Writer's Blessing, in honor of the 2004 Romance Writers of America Conference in Dallas, Texas. I hope you enjoy.
Confessions from a Research Geek
This short article includes tips for three kinds of research: primary, secondary, and hands-on exploration. From locating helpful publications to proper protocol for interviewing law enforcement experts, this article will walk you step-by-step through various avenues of book research.
Eight Ways Research Can Kill Your Novel
Covering the flip side of research, this quick list points out eight mistakes to avoid when incorporating research into your fast-paced novel. Remember, less is more, and too many experts can definitely spoil the broth.
Plotting the Novel: Otherwise Known as The Real Reason Writers are Neurotic
This article provides an in-depth guide to plotting your novel, including a section on how to fix pesky plot problems through playing "plot doctor." If you're anal, or really into creative uses of index cards, this is the article for you.
Seven Secrets of Romantic Suspense
This short article covers seven tips for writing a romantic suspense novel. For more information on writing romantic suspense, see the lecture series below.
The Villain: Developing the Diabolical Prima Donna
In this day and age of dark, gritty suspense, villains are people, too. Don't miss this short article on how to make your villain as compelling-and frightening-as possible.
The Writer's Tool Chest
This three-page guide includes a list of favorite books on writing, as well as some helpful writing organizations for the aspiring writer and some wonderful reference novels for researching suspense.
Lecture Series
Click on the Lecture number to download it. This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Don't have it? Download the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis: A Series of Ten Lectures
This in-depth lecture series, developed from a month-long class, covers everything from understanding the publishing market to writing a short synopsis to putting together a complete submission package. If you're serious about marketing your novel, this is a good place to start.
Secrets of Romantic Suspense: A Series of Eight Lectures
Based on the shorter article above, this lecture series covers many writing basics, from proper use of setting to developing believable characters to creating cliffhanger plots. For any writer of popular fiction, this article should be fun.
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I recommend that any serious writer join a writers group. Three great organizations are