Here's a little video I made on why I think outlining your novel is super important...and I wish I had started doing it earlier. To any of you writing a novel out there, I hope that this helps!
Why I want to give my book an awesome love story…
Background info: I'm not fond of sad love stories, or weird love stories. I want to be inspired by love, not left sad and depressed. How I define an awesome love story (but this is not set in stone, I'm looking to grow from here): A story that replenishes hope. An endearing couple who, even with the … Continue reading Why I want to give my book an awesome love story…
Three bits of inspiration from ants – how about that?
I thought it would be fun to look for inspiration from ants...it's like being a kid, all over again : ) Though there's a lot already out there on this, here are my three cents worth. Ants stay on course. Pretty much no matter what, ants find their way around obstacles, sometimes really big ones! I, … Continue reading Three bits of inspiration from ants – how about that?
How should I define success?
As I write my book, I have to ask myself: on this writing journey, how will I know if I am successful? Is ultimate success finding an agent and getting published? There is a lot out there on how to achieve success... Winston Churchill said, "Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm." Thomas … Continue reading How should I define success?
Fiction vs. Non-fiction
This week, I found out that 80% of fiction is purchased by women. What draws people to fiction vs non-fiction? I guess men like real stuff...but, a lot of times, fiction has more in common with non-fiction than people think!
Transformed perspective
At the end of February, I will have been writing Mirror of Sparrows for two years! Somedays I get discouraged at the pace I'm going, but then again, I'm super excited about something else: time, study and effort have completely transformed my approach to writing, and I no longer write, read books or watch movies the way … Continue reading Transformed perspective
What if this doesn’t work out?
This morning, rather than diving into my regular writing routine, I did nothing. Actually, that's not entirely true...I allowed my brain to become paralyzed with fear. What if writing this book doesn't work out? Here is the mental list that has been running through me brain and then my responses to myself (that's sort of weird, … Continue reading What if this doesn’t work out?
Why I love to write!
There are many reasons why I love to write, but three of the main ones are: it's amazing to create something out of nothing, you can write and re-write as many drafts as you want, for as long as you want, and, it's really fun to put your characters through crazy adventures! Thank you for … Continue reading Why I love to write!
Scene structure
Mirror of Sparrows update, with a focus on journals (thank you Erin and Ben), my amazing freelance editor, Ellen Brock, and my attempts at scene structure. Wishing you a very happy new year! Thank you for watching!
The joys of cheesy romantic Christmas movies!
In order to decompress from my lack of progress on the one-millionth rewrite of the first quarter of my novel, I have started watching some of the cheesy romantic Christmas movies that Netflix has to offer. It was by accident, really. If you can push through the first twenty minutes of each of these movies, … Continue reading The joys of cheesy romantic Christmas movies!
Vanessa Fowler 