Carolyn's writing workshop
What I Learned the Hard Way
Hold onto your hats, these sections are no-holds-barred. I give my opinion without mincing words. My opinion is based on experience. Painful experience. Plus, examples, real life ones you can apply to your own work. If you'd like to improve your writing, read on.
Craft
{ Rules To Write By }
Ten Rules for Writing Fiction
Plus, Innermost Secrets Revealed
{ Liven things Up }
Activity is Good for You.
The Reader can figure it out: Show Don't Tell
"Prove it!" Master the art of showing
Bring your writing to Life with strength and specificity.
{ Not Again! }
When Repetition Goes Bad. Like Gaul, divided in three parts.
Micro Repetition. Macro Repetition. Mega Repetition. Conquer repetition wherever you see it, (well almost everywhere).
{ I Believe! }
Accuracy
More on Why Details Count
{ Location, Location, Location }
Where is everybody?
Ouch! How did that desk get there?
{ Miscellaneous Important Stuff }
Prologues Should you have one?
Writing Steamy Scenes
Plotting
Set-Up, Your Plot's Foundation
Naming your Characters
Advice
{ How to Make All This Advice Work }
Advice is all over the place. Here's how to make it work. What to do when you get rejected.
{ Should I enter contests? }
The good, the bad and the ugly about writing contests.
{ Critique Groups }
Why you should join one (and it's not the reason you think).
{ Appearances Matter }
How to format your Manuscript
Now what?
I'm done! Now what?
Improve your chances of publication with the hated query letter and the dreaded synopsis.
Targeting a publisher.
Locating Historical Facts
References and resources to help with historical accuracy.
On-Line resources, books, some original source material I've gathered and put on this web site.
Tips and Warnings
How publishing works: some tips and warnings about shopping your novel.
What to do when you're feeling desperate. Kind of a mission statement?