I've had my mind on writing a thorough book to cover all of the aspects of being an independent author publisher, but you know what? I've decided to do a podcast instead. Stay tuned for the first episode. Sign up here to be notified as soon as it launches.
Sara Whitford
Favorite Writing Tips: #6 – One key ingredient for writing magic is…
I love writing with background sounds. In fact, a common element with all of my books — aside from the obvious characters and settings — is that I have done the vast majority of my writing with ambient audio playing either via YouTube or some other sound effects site....
27 Online Resources for Researching Colonial America
The Adam Fletcher Adventure Series is set in the period between the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution. It takes place on the coast of North Carolina and involves smuggling and old pirates, among other things. I'm pretty obsessive about getting historical...
How to Create Effective Chapter Breaks
This whole novel-writing business? I'll admit, I'm just beginning. But reading? I've been doing my whole life. I know what kinds of books have kept me reading, and which ones I've given up on before I've finished half of the book. A lot goes into keeping readers...
Need a story idea? Look at your family tree.
The tagline on this blog touts the fact that my 3nd great-grandfather, William Morris, wrote our family record in a copy of Robinson Crusoe. That's just one small piece of information, but an interesting one, nevertheless. How many stories could be dreamt up just to...
Favorite Writing Tips: #2 – Use Index Cards to Plan Your Story
This little gem of an idea is pretty self-explanatory. I'd never thought to try it before, always opting to scribble a few notes in a composition book, then start writing in Microsoft Word. (Those days are over. I'm in love with Scrivener now, but that gets covered in...
Favorite Writing Tips: #1 – Write ‘As If’
This post begins a new series called "Favorite Writing Tips." I'm going to take things out of order, though. I'm not going to start with tips about how to plan a novel — even though that might seem like the logical order — because this tip is just my favorite. It's...
Writer’s Resource: Create a calendar (with moon phases!) for any month in history
Have you ever wondered what day of the week a historical event happened? Or what about what kind of moon was in the sky during that blustery February in eastern North Carolina when the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was fought? Well, now you can have your answers. I...