#AmWriting: Using a Calendar to Storyboard Your Novel

#AmWriting: Using a Calendar to Storyboard Your Novel

by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy

As a discovery writer, I sometimes feel as though I’m just a passenger on this train. I’m the transcriber of events observed. Or a screenwriter giving words to the movie playing in my head. Often, my characters will rebel, refuse, and rearrange the scenes I’m trying to create.

I don’t know about your writing, but getting deeper into the story has caused some drama, and I don’t just mean on the pages. NOLA has been started, restarted, edited, revamped, revised and solidified. And through the past three … read the rest. . .

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#AmWriting: Keeping Track with Story Cards

Some are discovery writers. Some are outliners. Some are in-betweeners.

Whatever the plotting style, great writers track their story from start to finish.

I, not yet being a great world-famous writer, was in my fifth chapter of NOLA when I realized I’d used much of the same language in Chapter Two. Now, we all know New Orleans is worth visiting more than once, but this novel is a mystery, not a time travel sci-fi.  So, back to the old storyboard I went.

Only I didn’t have a storyboard. No worries. I remembered enough to keep it from happening again. Until … read the rest. . .

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My Two-Inch Peacock

I have a two-inch peacock and he’s only visible through my story window. I’m not crazy. I’m a writer.

This month, I’m reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. If you’re serious about being a writer, or just like a well-told narrative, this is that book. I’m nearly a quarter through, and loving every page, every paragraph, every sentence.

Now here’s something you may not know about me: I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my writing and media. I want it to always be right. I don’t want just the end result to be perfect, I want it … read the rest. . .

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Why I Don’t Go To Carnivals in October

by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy

The first “storm” of the season is on its way to Southern California, bringing with it high winds and light snow. I’m hopeful (but not realistic) about seeing a flake or two this weekend. My trees are billowing as I write this, and about ready to drop their leaves.

I love this time of year: the time when the desert is a little more colorful, when people bundle in sweaters and scarfs, when the smell of fireplaces and warm cooking are almost everywhere.

And so are the traveling carnivals. You know what I’m talking about: … read the rest. . .

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