Crack-Bang-BOOM! (A Writing Decision Celebration)
Crack—Bang—BOOM! How are you doing on your writing journey? I’ve decided to BOOM! Yes, it was a decision. If you start now, you might experience your own fireworks by New Year’s Eve!
Tag Archive for ‘#writingtips’
The Craft of Word Cutting
After carefully weaving my words and sentences into the final draft of a manuscript, cutting words away was the last thing I wanted to do! However, that’s exactly what my editor requested in my latest manuscript.
A Villainess Blast from the Past (Author/Villain)
Save this article for loads of resources about creating the perfect villain in your story–and yes, every story needs a good villain.
Editing Tip: Kindle Time
You’ve typed, The End, at the bottom of your draft. After revising your pages several times, made the listed fixes from your developmental editor’s notes, it’s time to…what?
I Am Not a Rabbit
I find myself like a rabbit chasing carrots here, there, and everywhere in the writing world, causing my home to be far from a cozy bush in a safe backyard but in overwhelm. Writers need to find their boundaries.
I’m B-A-C-K to Blogging!
Life did that phenomenon where it swallowed me up whole, while beats of time strummed its tick-tock tune in the back of my mind.
Still a Story Seamstress
I’m still a seamstress cutting and trimming and sewing the pieces of my story into something lovely and sharable.
Writing Breakthroughs (25 Tips When You’re Stuck)
How many breakthroughs do you experience as an author? Foolishly, when I began this writing journey, I assumed it might be every now and then, or once in a blue moon. However, the deeper I dive into this world of authoring, the more I find myself regularly STUCK! Why? I’ve successfully published three books. When does this process get easier? But the more I follow other authors, the more I […]
Writers – Filter Out Those Filter Words
Writers, have you unintentionally created layers between your characters and your readers? It’s time to close the gap. Once I learned how to spot these scratchy filter words, my writing became more snug!
A Little NaNoWriMo Self-Discovery (3 Things Learned)
NaNoWriMo taught me that writing under the clock was hard, but it was also doable when I bent my back in its direction and leaned into the stretch.
July Steps Check-in (How are you doing writer?)
It’s been a minute since we’ve spoken…or two…or 43,200! I’ve gone from blog-posting every Sunday to every other Sunday to now (evidently) once a month. I may be dwindling in my contact, and knee-deep in writing projects, but I’m still here! So, hello! I hope everyone is doing well. Let’s check in. 😊 Please, please comment or private message me with your latest writing goals, struggles, and accomplishments because I […]
Writing Step: 9 (Celebrate the Awaited Book Launch)
Writing is a journey. There are rest stops and detours along the way, but perseverance does pay off. When the final writing destination springs into view, there are no words to describe the accompanying emotions. And even though it’s important to celebrate throughout the process, this last stage at the end…publishing…is surely time to celebrate BIG! Why? Writers endure turmoil and strife in each step of the process. But goals […]
My Step Driven Action to Creating Characters ~ Step 3
Writers, how many steps does it take to bring your characters to life? For me, three! In previous posts I’ve covered the first two steps in this process. Step 1: Re-Research (I went back to the experts, read books on characterization) https://stepsinbetween.com/2020/05/17/my-step-driven-action-to-creating-characters-step-one/ Step 2: Paper Dolls (I sketched out my characters on paper; flat, with brainstormed hopes about his or her traits, behaviors, responses, hopes, dreams, obstacles, truths, lies…) https://stepsinbetween.com/2020/06/14/my-step-driven-action-to-creating-characters-step-2/ […]
Sticky Scene Tips
Writing is an ebb and flow of energy-boosted ideas. Sometimes the flow is in rhythm with ideas and the writer can pour their thoughts onto the page with inspired ease. Other times, even if the energy level is low, the ideas can still be strong enough to keep the writer going, regardless of exhaustion or depletion. These times tend to lend themselves to three-in-the-morning explorations and other odd behaviors but […]
Smoothed Out Pacing…Like Melting Chocolate
Have you ever melted chocolate over a double boiler? It happens slow and fast at the same time, much like the pacing in a novel. Patience is critical to success in both cases. Don’t walk away and assume your morsels (or chapters) are fine. They need constant movement. In the final editing phases of my book, Seam Keepers, I am randomly choosing chapters in which to read for the velvetiness […]
Desperately Seeking Sequel Advice
Sharing my journey as a writer also includes an occasional request. Today, I need your thoughts—from both readers and writers! After working with my editor on Seam Keepers, set to launch in 2021, it only makes sense to set aside my new book project, Life Song, to write the next book in the Keeper series. It’s reassuring to know that Life Song is still there, outlined, started, and ready to […]
Revising Clarity…Like Raking Leaves
I love a good metaphor. Similes make me smile. Describe, describe, describe! Isn’t that the expectation of a writer? My answer? To an extent. Sometimes I run with language too far in my manuscripts. This morning, as I peered out my window, the season called to me, and I listened. How timely that I am editing my book in October. Instead of combing over every sentence for mistakes, I imagined […]
Gleaning Wisdom (Virtual Writer’s Conference Confessions)
There’s a certain dazzle that surrounds me when I attend a writer’s conference. I’ve come far from my first experience in 2017, where I ate lunch in my car and sat solo in the back of every workshop. By 2019, I had made new friends through a PNWA writing class. And since then, many of my classmates and I still meet regularly in a critique group. As many authors tend […]
Writing Out Loud
Writing Out Loud – Take Time to Hear Your Words I used to write in the closet. My story idea hidden between the stored winter coats, a keyboard, and my mind. My family had no idea I was taking the plunge of authorhood. I surely told no friends of my plans to write and publish a book. Discreetly, I swept every piece of description and dialogue into a quiet corner, […]
Filter Flops in Writing
Filter Flops in Writing When I curl up to read a good book, I don’t want the author putting a safety glass between me and the story. I want to be right there in the action. I want to feel the frustration, the sorrow, or the zeal of each character. I am referring to filters, of which I did not realize I, myself, unintentionally add to my writing. Time to […]
Writing Renovation Celebration
September marks my three-year anniversary with my writing blog, Steps In Between. I am grateful for my readers, encouraged in my progress as a writer, and elated for the new year ahead. First on the list: a remodel! Maybe I’ve been watching too much HGTV this summer, but it’s time to update and renew. I am going to be reworking some of my blog and linking it to my brand-new […]
I am a Story Seamstress
Lately, I am more than writing. I am more than editing. I am more than revising my manuscript. Instead, I am concise, and direct, and intentional with every word on the page. This includes every word trimmed from the page, as well. As a story seamstress, I am doing just that with my manuscript, Seam Keepers; I am hemming up every scene, every page, every paragraph. Less is more. I’m […]
Sunday Celebration for Wednesday Poetry (and a YOUR TURN PROMPT)
Somehow August has arrived, with sunshine and summer in tow. It felt so far away, back in March, when isolation started. But here we are. And after a long lull in my poetry inspiration, I’m back to writing more fluently again! Last month I wrote three poems for my Wednesday Whims page, plus a couple online workshop pieces, and a few others to hopefully send out for submissions (so I […]
Pocket Sizing My Story
Pocket planning! That’s what I’m working on right now. With book two underway, and my mission to de-pants myself…ummm, what I mean is, curb my pantser-instead-of-plotting tendencies, I aim to become more of a planner. Of course, I am NOT a planner by nature, so I’m on the hunt, finding simple solutions to trick my brain into the idea. Could I be wasting time as a writer? Could this process […]
Poetry Play, with Pamela Hobart Carter
This morning arrived with joyful poetry play! Thank You to poet, author, and playwright, Pamela Hobart Carter for her most recent blog post, Make a Poem at Home: Poetry Lessons for Covid Times. (https://playwrightpam.wordpress.com/make-a-poem-at-home-poetry-lessons-for-covid-times/#like-841) As a fellow teacher of young children and a writer myself, I found encouragement and fun following her three creative ideas for writing poetry with young ones. I find these lessons appropriate for all ages! As […]
Reader Advice: Same Walk, New Step (Squash the Creative Crunch)
Last week I shared real-life distractions blocking my creative pathway, even amid true inspiration. My readers delivered with caring advice, either through comments or private messages, and I am grateful. A few small suggestions helped me to make some slight alterations to my writing routine, which made all the difference. As a reference, please take a peek back at last week’s post: https://stepsinbetween.com/2020/06/21/creatively-crunched/ For starters, I took some time off […]
Creatively Crunched
Sometimes, as a writer, even when I know what to write, my fingers hover above my keyboard in a clutched-claw formation. I don’t know how to describe this state other than it feels as if my creativity is crunched. I am full of ideas and motivation, but I waver back and forth between projects hardly completing a thing. Meanwhile, my writing to-do list grows longer. Why, when I sit down […]
My Step Driven Action to Creating Characters ~ Step 2
Writing a book is a long and weary process. So, what did I do after accomplishing this great feat? I started in on the next novel. It’s a completely new story with new characters, new plots, new everything. But this time, I am tracking my steps along the way. This time I am hoping for more efficiency in my process. As this blog is my journey in writing, my new […]
Writing Road Trip Reflection (Exciting News)
I am a goal-setter. Although to be honest, I don’t always look back and reflect. Sometimes I just keep going, setting new or abbreviated goals along the way. But today, with the accomplishment of one very important goal that’s pushed me to drive through long nights and torrential downpours, I have found reason to reflect. And I believe it is important to share for all the writers out there who […]
My Step Driven Action to Creating Characters ~ Step One
With the book that’s held my attention for the last several years complete, and in the hands of an editor (and soon to be published, late spring 2021), I now have the time to focus on a new story idea that’s been brewing in the back of my mind. I believed utilizing what I learned from my first book to begin my second book would make story-writing easier. But it […]
Mother’s Day MasterClass
Flowers are a lovely gift for many celebratory occasions. But for me, I also like blooms of another kind. This year for Mother’s Day, my daughter gifted me a membership to MasterClass, and I am in love with this bouquet of possibility and growth. I cannot rate this program because I’ve only just begun, but after choosing my classes this morning, I have chills in anticipation. The reviews are quite […]
Writing Through COVID-19
Oh, the possibilities of accomplishment in the extra hours of house arrest, due to COVID-19…or so it seems. I thought for sure I would be further along in my new book draft. I would submit poetry for publication every day. I would catch up on quality family time, organize my closet, spring clean my house…all in a Mary Poppins sort of way. With our world home-bound in mandated isolation, why […]
Poem In Your Pocket Day
Poem in your Pocket Day is April 30th this year, and the perfect send off to an unforgettable National Poetry Month. In some ways, perhaps more poetry was shared due to our isolation with Corona Virus. My hope, with all the sadness and anxiety, with the unfortunate souls lost to this pandemic, is that some how we manage to find reason and comfort within a string of words. This is […]
Fill Your Writer’s Well ~ STILL Delighting in National Poetry Month, April 2020
With April abloom, we are more than midway through National Poetry Month. If you have been following along with Steps In Between, you know we are reveling in this event by sharing poetry from writers all over the world. Their names are listed below, but read on for a quick bit of well-filling inspiration… POETS below in alphabetical order, their poems can be found at this link: https://stepsinbetween.com/2020/04/05/let-the-words-roam-national-poetry-month-april-2020/ Yvonne Brewer (Spring Sends […]
Writers–Check! (An Exercise)
Do I really need another writer’s checklist? I do. I’ve discovered it’s needed for my own growth. Only six years into writing for myself, and three years into writing more publicly, I am in great need of accountability and push-on-abilty. And, sometimes I forget the pure satisfaction in checking off an item on my list. Maybe I should add, celebrate checking off the checklist, onto my list. I find my […]
Change and Patience (A Forced Pause in Writing)
Change and Patience (A Forced Pause in Writing) Change—not a new phenomenon. We are all facing change every day of our lives. But recently, reaching out to any social media or news source, the vast change affecting all of us worldwide is apparent. COVID-19 is demanding attention, and yes…all regularly scheduled life activities have been paused. Where does this leave me? I’m hunkered down at home and feeling out of […]
Writers Need Writers!
Writers Need Writers! Lunch with friends is always a joyful experience. When written on my calendar, it becomes a beacon of light to look forward to. And now I have a new “lunch with friends 2.0” to share: lunch with writer friends! Writers typically work alone. Isolation is required in the realms of creation, but sometimes we need to poke our heads out and interact with others. Yesterday, I had […]
My Day Off from Writing
Intentionally, I took a day off from writing. Yes, it was Valentine’s Day, international day of love, but also, my Anniversary. With a double holiday (as I like to call it), I always take the whole day off from every other thing vying for my attention. The next day, I felt refreshed and ready to write! Whatever day works for you, be it a holiday or just a typical Tuesday, […]
A Wriggling Writing Mind
My writing mind wriggles during down time, up time, in between time. Honestly, it never really ceases in its pursuit to create. The doctors diagnosed it as ADD, and although it can be frustrating at times (in the middle of a Tuesday night with a morning meeting in wait), I find it illuminating. Ideas spark at the glimpse of bulb plants sprouting from the cold January ground, warriors against frost. […]
Winter Days Ignite Poetry
January has unveiled its raw winter-ness. For Seattle, that blast of snowy chill equates to a romanticized sense of wonderland…well, for the writer in me. Maybe because I grew up where wintery-season months matched splendidly with all the storybooks from my childhood…snowfall under lamp posts, icicle-clad roof eaves…and my dad bundled under the warmth of his red flannel shirt, shoveling the drive. A favorite memory, relived year after year in […]
Character Developing: The Story and the Author
After five-plus years of writing my finally finished book, Seam Keepers, a burning new story has sparked into life. Although I am still in the querying stage of my first book, I can’t seem to snuff the light from this new idea seeking passage to the page. And though Seam Keepers has a sequel in need of completing, this new story inspiration doesn’t seem to mind sharing in the limelight. […]
Story Characters Take a Glimpse…
Merry Merry Writers! This one is a throw-back from December 2017: (https://stepsinbetween.com/2017/12/24/merry-merry-socks-or-chocolate/). I believe still applies today. It’s a fun exercise that can also help put character feelings and back-story into perspective. Give it a try during this holiday season, when writing time can be scarce. Happy Everything You Celebrate, my readers. I appreciate you! And…Happy Writing (because at least you’re writing), Celaine Charles, December 22, 2019 Image and Content […]
Writing Amidst the Mistletoe
I am writing in my fuzzy PJs, coffee swirling to my left, notes from my editor (and hopefully one day publisher) to my right. I’m planted at my desk, the place all good writing (and terrible, but I’m focusing on the positive) comes from. Imagination flowing like a crisp winter breeze? No, I’m caught up with seasonal shopping that isn’t going to find itself purchased and wrapped under my tree […]
Marketing-Shmarketing (A Writer’s Request)
Just because I’m a writer…author of my first poetry book…revising-expert of my fiction manuscript…and mostly nice human, doesn’t mean I have the business knowledge or wherewithal to market myself. This is the hardest part for me. More difficult than the writing itself; and writing is challenging. ***Side Note: At the bottom of this post you will find some links to marketing advice as well as a REQUEST for more resources. […]
December’s Look back ~ Poetry Reflections
I am thankful for a December look-back. The first Sunday of a new month is an invitation to visit my poetry page, Wednesday Whims of Poetry. It’s that beginning of a new month where I encourage reflection from the month before…before it’s gone. Time moves like a sleepless night. It flows whether we’re caught up or ready, and tirelessly we move forward because it’s the only direction to go. But […]
Beholden, Grateful, Obliged, and Bound…
Beholden, grateful, obliged, and bound…how many other words might describe the thankfulness in my heart. This is the season where I wind down, follow that trickle of thought from mind to heart. That gleaming light from purpose to fingertips because when creating, that’s where things get done. I’ve found the writing side of who I am, depicted this way, as I’m certain it’s been with me my whole life. I […]
My “Bottled-Up” Writers Strength Recipe
I was at a loss as to what to write today, especially with Veteran’s Day tomorrow. I am from a military family, so Veteran’s Day always reminds me of them. My mom and dad, my sister and brother-in-law, my uncle, my in-laws, my extended family and friends…I know so many people who have served to preserve our country. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! A common thread […]
Writing In The Almost Utter Darkness
It’s that time of year again when the moon takes on an eerie glow, much brighter above darker autumn evenings. This strange little season starts in the grocery stores, far too early, in September. Although candy sales aren’t the greatest of deals when you down every morsel before the first ding-dong of trick-or-treaters. But, nearer than a roaming spirit, the holiday is upon is. And as much as I dislike […]
Writing With the Rain
I am writing with the rain this morning. The house is quiet, as still as the cup of coffee steaming at my side. At the moment, it’s a calmness quite far from the workings in my mind. As a writer of poetry and fiction, a teacher of young students, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend…I feel overwhelmed today. Tranquil time is hard to come by […]
Steps In Between 