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.
The Hunt Goes On
Vincent, Where Have You Gone? My hunt for a missing Van Gogh has led me to valuable contacts, fascinating people and stories but, alas, not to the lost painting. Yet. I have conversed with art dealers in Switzerland, museum officials in Amsterdam, Washington, D.C.,...
Social Media is Not Very Social
Technology Isolates Us This weekend, my husband and I were relaxing on our deck overlooking a lovely canyon with our two sweet Labs. Both of us were thinking (maybe our Labs were too!) about how we missed going to bookstores. Not only to buy books but to enjoy a...
My Point of View
Does POV Really Matter? Did you ever find yourself reading a book, a good book, but find that something is bothering you about it? You can’t quite put your finger on it, so you sigh, throw it down for a while then pick it up later. The story is compelling, the...
Maybe I Should Get a Real Job
Nah, I’ll Stick to Writing I was sitting in my car the other day, waiting for the light to change, and I noticed a sign twirler on the corner. He was a young man, wild and frizzy yellow hair, who probably loved sun and surfing when he wasn’t twirling. He tossed the...
The First Five Words
The Importance of Book Titles In 2000, Literary Agent, Noah Lukeman wrote “The First Five Pages.” In this thin little gem on writing, he said that if the first five pages didn’t hold the reader, it was bye bye book. Before you get to the first five pages, however, you...
Location, Location, Location
It Really Matters I’m nearing the end of a mystery that has me completely riveted. I haven’t been able to put it down for three days now, and I know I’m going to be bummed when I finish. Fortunately, a sequel is coming out in September. The title is “A Killing in the...
Reflections on Self-Publishing
Still Not Quite a Dream I’ve just self-published my third mystery. About a year ago, I blogged about the dream and the nightmare of self-publishing. I want to give an update now. First, let me say, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that I made a mistake using a company...
A Joe By Any Other Name
Is He Still a Joe? One of the most important, but often most difficult part of writing a novel is selecting names for your characters. When you begin you might already have some in mind. But as the characters morph during the writing process, that name might no longer...
When a Book Doesn’t Make It
What Makes You Give Up Your Latest Read? Have you had trouble finding a good read lately? I know, I know, most folks say they have so many books waiting to be read that it’s no problem. But, it seems that every sample I pick up these days just hasn’t made it. Jeez,...
Battle of Gettysburg 150 Years Later
How Fiction Can Bring History to Life In “Time Exposure” I used the technique of letters and diary entries to bring out the human side of the Civil War. July 2 is the second day of the three day battle at Gettysburg, 150 years later. In only three days, 51,000 were...
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