Lynne's Blog
As a science center director in a former life, my job was to show our audiences how science works, not simply to tell them. The Aha! moments made the experience real for the thousands of kids, adults, and young adults that visited. When they left, there was a good chance they would remember the scientific concept behind the hands-on exhibit.
Writing is much the same. Writers need that Aha! encounter to grow and nourish their ideas into a final piece of work. That’s what this blog is all about. It’s about MY “minds-on” adventure with words — one I enjoy sharing with readers. Whether it’s about the research aspect, the craft of writing itself, or the emotional roller coaster of putting myself out there in the public eye . . . my blog is me. Pure and simple.
I welcome your thoughts and hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.
To Subplot or Not to Subplot
Moving Your Story Forward All good books (and movies) contain subplots. Like real people, main characters have a lot going on in their lives. They go to work, make breakfast for the kids, feed the dog, pick up the groceries, and pay the bills. Are these mundane tasks...
The Best Way to Read
Traditional Vs. E-Books The house was dark. It was raining outside, chilly inside. I had no appointments, no particular place to be for a rare afternoon. I didn’t feel like writing (my book, that is.) I didn’t feel like Facebooking or Tweeting or Linking In. Not even...
The Fine Art of Murder
History Teaches Us Inventive Ways to Kill Research for my latest book has taken me to the darkest corners of our past: the witch hysteria of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. This grim era in early America occurred during the waning of the Inquisition in Europe, more...
Setting the Scene
It’s a Book – It’s a Movie Don’t be misled by the subtitle. We’d all love to have our books turned into scripts for movies. But what I’m referring to is how to make the reader “see” your scenes. Getting the reader to visualize what they are reading is not easy. It...
Good Tips from Mystery Writers of America
Get Your Website Up To Date I’m a new member of MWA and in one of their recent newsletters, aptly named “The 3rd Degree” there was a great article about the importance of keeping your website up to date. I hope they don’t mind, but I wanted to share some of their...
Can a Character Be Too Flawed?
Enough is Enough One of the first things I learned in writing classes was the importance of giving your characters flaws as a way of making them distinctive and memorable. Your characters, particularly the main character, need to stand out from others in your book....
War and Peace in One Day
THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE When it started, World War I was predicted to last only a few weeks. (The same was true of the Civil War, by the way.) Instead, by December of 1914, WWI had already claimed nearly a million lives. In fact, over fifteen million died in a war that...
Animals Are Human Too
Build Your Characters' Character I admit it. I’m an animal person. I love them all but am partial to dogs and have had many and still do. I’ve read many “animal” books and find them endearing. Today’s blog, though, is not about writing animal stories, but about...
Get the Technology Right
You Can't Fool Your Readers I started serious work on my fourth book this weekend and ran into a snag almost immediately. You might remember my books are historical mysteries that are solved today by modern technology. Well, in “Pure Lies” I move back to 1692 and the...
Jump-Start Your Book
A Simple Formula for That First Outline Hurrah. I’ve gotten back to writing my fourth mystery. I’d fallen behind because blogging, social media and publicity on my last book had taken up quite a bit of time. For me, outlining is extremely important. Mainly because a...
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