Note: This post from February, 2014 is being re-blogged from my previous Blogger platform. I've noticed a disturbing trend in my own reading lately. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve found that the last several romances in a row that I’ve picked up I’ve promptly put down. At first, I began to panic. Was I... Continue Reading →
Writing Your First Draft by Hand
In the early stages of my career as a proofreader, I provided the final edits for a self-help book on effective communication. Interestingly, there was a section which talked about the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and which sides you activate while handwriting and typing. According to this book, you use the left, analytical half of... Continue Reading →
Dealing with Procrastination – Learn when You Write Best
Note: This post from March, 2014 is being re-blogged from my previous Blogger platform. I spent an hour and a half vacuuming my unfinished basement last night. Even as I was doing it, my brain was telling me, "Vero, this is probably the most useless chore you've ever spent time on." But of course, the most... Continue Reading →
Is Your Writing Overwritten? 3 Hints that It Might Be
Early on in my writing career, I submitted a manuscript to Harlequin. To my extreme excitement, they responded asking for exclusive consideration. As I’m sure all newbie authors have done at one point or another (to our collective chagrin) I thought I’d made it. I’d get a publishing contract, I’d have a dedicated team of... Continue Reading →
Love Your Villain
*Note: this post is being re-blogged. It was written when I was using Blogger as a platform. I am revisiting it now that I've switched to WordPress. Cheers, V. I love Twitter. It's full of tips and tidbits for writers. Even if I already knew some of the things my fellow Tweeps are tweeting about,... Continue Reading →
What does it mean to create a “real” character?
A writing tip I see often concerns character building. You hear over and over that you want real characters, characters that live and breathe. It's an important piece of advice. Creating a real character is vital to your story, but what exactly is a real character? What is that extra, indefinable something you, as an author, need to give your... Continue Reading →
Breaking “The Rules” – Why I Don’t Draft
I do a lot of web-surfing for writing tips. It’s part of the job ... or, well, if you can call what I do a “job,” which is debatable ... One of the most prevalent topics I see (which is discussed forward and backward and every which way) concerns drafts. Here’s what to do after you’ve... Continue Reading →
(Not So) Secondary Characters
In life, we meet countless people who are secondary characters to our life story: our neighbours; our colleagues; the servers at our favourite coffee shop. These people don't exist solely to serve our life stories. They are their own entities. They have their own back stories, their own personalities, and their own actions, reactions, thoughts... Continue Reading →
Struggling with My Niche … What IS My Niche?
If you're an indie author, you've got to blog. At least, that's what I've been told by, like, just about every "how to" blog post I've seen. Blogging increases your following. Blogging makes you more visible. ... It's also a major time-suckage. Whether it is, or is not, necessary, I've gotten myself into it, and I'll... Continue Reading →
The Quantity vs. Quality Conundrum
This morning, as I was scrolling Twitter looking for tips, tricks and things I can re-tweet, I came across a link to a blog post about the problem with quantity-driven writing. As an author of romantic fiction, this is something I—along with my legion of fellow scribblers—struggle with. You need to stay relevant; you need... Continue Reading →
Veronica Bale's Blog 