The Year of Writing Dangerously

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Welcome back to the Write Away blog and welcome forward to the new year. A year with possibilities, riches (of some sort, even if not money), and fulfillment. At least, that’s the goal, right? The resolution?

This time of year is clogged with suggestions for how you can make a new, improved you. Just resolve to this, that, and the other, and presto bingo! Out pops a better version of you!

Or not.

While about half of us make resolutions, only about 8% of us follow through. I talk more about making and breaking resolutions and a viable alternative tomorrow at Romance Righter, Angelica French’s blog (www.angelicafrench.blogspot.com). Check it out tomorrow if that interests you.

But back to Professional Writer You. Over the years I have tried different genres and writing formats to challenge myself. I’ve dabbled in paranormal, scifi, historical fiction, biography, romance, women’s fiction, and culinary mysteries.

I’ve written short stories, full-length plays, 10-minute plays, novels, novellas, and non-fiction.

I keep learning when I try a new format or genre. One goal this year is to try writing humor. That will likely be my most difficult challenge yet. Humor writing is hard! While everyone thinks that a dying nice guy is a tear jerker, we don’t all agree on what makes things funny. One person’s witty wisecracker is another’s annoying pest.

Another writing goal I have for the year is to write in first person. First person terrifies me! To only know what your narrator knows. Why isn’t omniscient observer good enough anymore? So, of course, I have to try it! What’s to lose? Time, right? Maybe get a bit of a bruised ego? But the old, “nothing ventured . . .” saw comes to mind.

Time and ego are small potatoes in the grand scheme. So, ride along with me? Prod me to tell you how I’m doing. Join me in The Year of Writing Dangerously.

And what are you doing to stretch yourself this year? Tell me of your writing travel plans in the Comments section below and what challenges you expect to encounter. Let’s enjoy our journeys together.

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April A-Z Blog Challenge

Coming soon to a blog near you! At my blog, in April, you get a two-fer! Here’s a sample:

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W is for Walk-on Characters

Ever write a story with walk-on characters? [That’s my W word on Day 23.]

Walk-ons shouldn’t be throwaway characters. Nor should they be extraneous. Each character in your story …

Story--W: Day 23

         “Will you help? Please?” She sat next to his cooling body, picked up a lifeless hand, and looked up at her captor. “I don’t want to leave him like this.”

         She thought she caught a flicker of doubt in his eyes as he shifted them to the wagon behind her. …

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Come back on Day 23 to read more. Better still, mark your calendar to start following me daily (except Sundays) in April. Each day you will get a two-fer! I’ll post a writing tip or tidbit for authors, and then I will post the next segment of a story broken into 26 pieces. Each day’s story segment will begin with that day’s letter of the alphabet. Doesn’t that sound like too much fun???

If you have a blog and haven’t signed up for the most fun Internet challenge ever, now is your chance! Visit the A-Z challenge site

and add your name to the hundreds of others. By April 1^st, there will be thousands of us. I just signed up and am super excited for this year’s challenge to begin.

Two years ago I posted on “Romance Righter” about random words. Okay, I was just getting the hang of it. It got better.

Last year I posted on “Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time”. This January I was interviewed about my posts on food terms and techniques, and it was published on the A-Z blog site. Yay!

This year I am posting on my third blog, “Write Away”. Trying to share the love. Ya’ll come back in April. Of course, I’d love to have you visit me before that, too. On Tuesdays, I post a new piece. Check out my archives and add me to your blog visitation schedule! I have great fun here!

I'm Baaack! New Topics and An Invitation

Hey, all of you wonderful people. I am re-activating this blog for general writing issues. I'm starting a series on Twitter; what it is and how authors can make it work for them. I hope you find it useful. I also will do more with other business-end topics just as in the past.

Stop back by next Tuesday and see what I am talking about.

Also, authors, if you are looking for a spot to guest post, I have three blogs. Pick the one that matches you best and send me a proposal at LEADMoore@gmail.com for what you'd like to do. Your post will be up for a week, and I promote it on FB and Twitter. I assume you will, too!

You could guest post on an appropriate topic or be interviewed by me. You would send me the well-edited post, a head shot, book cover(s) mentioned, and links for my readers to find you.

Pretty simple, eh? Take a look at my blogs and see which fits you best.

So contact me at LEADMoore@gmail.com if you want to appear on:

Write Away (general writing issues related to producing and marketing fiction)
www.samwriteaway.blogspot.com

Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time (food issues/recipes, mystery writing, women's fiction, historical fiction)
www.sharonarthurmoore.blogspot.com

Romance Righter (relationship and/or romance issues, chicklit, or romance literature; can be adult content)
www.angelicafrench.blogspot.com

Also, I would be most appreciative if you'd buy one (or more!) of my books and leave an Amazon review! Reviews are so important to authors. Thanks in advance!