As I have been pecking away at the keys working on my new projects, I’ve been compiling a little list for myself. I thought I would make it pretty and share it with all of you. I do like to share. Is that weird? Well, not everything—my toothbrush is off limits.
Now that I have made that clear, here is my latest list. Voice Descriptor Infographic . . .
(more…)When a character has an emotional reaction to something, it is good for he or she to have a realistic physical response to match. This is a quick graphic based on medical research as to where we actually feel the emotions in our bodies. Whether you agree or not, I hope this helps you think through your responses.
(more…)A little writing inspiration for you:
I’m so pleased to announce the release of my seventh book! I’ve been teaching English for over two decades, so putting together a writing book seemed a natural progression. Many of the charts and reference materials were items I created for my own writing, and have been sharing them with my writer friends for years. They encouraged me to add to what I had, and get it out to the general public. I hope you find it as useful as I have.
“This workbook provides a space for you to journal ideas and thoughts for your next–or first–best seller. Robin not only shares her knowledge gained by years of experience, but thoughtfully gives space for writers to reflect and hand-write their ideas and moments of inspiration.” –author and editor Tamar Hela
Writing a first draft can be daunting. This workbook provides guidance for key elements of fiction writing that help create a cohesive novel. Additionally, it gives writers powerful reference resources to create an emotionally authentic work and the space to hash it all out in one, easy-to-carry book.
Workbook sections include:
OLD COVER
Reference sections include:
People who don’t live in California seem to think that everyone is within an hour from Disneyland. More than once I’ve had people contact me, telling me that they were going to be in LA, so maybe we can meet up for dinner. Now, depending on where this person is in the LA Basin, drive times from San Jose (40 minutes south of San Francisco) can range from 5 1/2 hours to 6 1/2 hours. People always seem to be shocked to learn how large California actually is. In fact, if you were to drive from the most southern large city, San Diego, north to the Oregon border, it would take you over 11 hours on a good day with no stops.
The point I am making, is that you need to research your travel times. It is so easy to simply Google the directions from place to place. Google will even given you travel times for car, bus, bicycle, and walking.
But sometimes Google won’t work. Maybe your characters are traveling on a private jet, or maybe your novel takes place in 1850. Here are some fantastic resources to help you:
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I had the honor of being interviewed by young adult writer, Lauren Lynne.
Welcome to my interview with novelist, Robin Woods, author of The Watcher Series.
Hello, Robin,
I’m glad you’re here! First some fun trivia – give me some juicy details…!
When I travel, I am often seen taking pictures of what must seem like random things to other people. I stand six inches from wallpaper or get down on my knees to catch the perfect angle of a fallen leaf. This summer, I visited Nevada a couple of times. These pictures were taken in The Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino. The Starbucks barista did look at me a little funny when I took a picture of the cup sleeves, but I’m glad I did.
Here is a sample of what you can do with these photos:
I used a fabulous website called Canva to add the text.
These pictures are free to use as long as you credit me and link to my site:
Photo by Robin Woods www.RobinWoodsFiction.com
Dialogue is an integral part of any novel. Here are eight ways to upgrade your dialogue and avoid some newbie pitfalls.
Here is an example of overuse:
“Heya, Eric.”
“Hello, Nora.”
“Eric, how has your summer been so far?”
“Well, Nora, it has been rather busy. I’m ready to slow down for a bit.”
“I totally understand, Eric. I have been busy too.”
Besides the fact that the dialogue is a yawn fest, people don’t naturally use one another’s names that much when talking. I makes your characters sound like game show hosts. “Yes, Vanna.” (more…)
