Writing Unleashed with Laura M. Harkins

library.creativecow.net “Write out of the reader’s imagination as well as your own. Supply the significant details and let the reader’s imagination do the rest.   Make the reader a co-author of the story."                                                                                             Patrick F. McManus One of the biggest challenges I face as a writer is balancing description and narration in my writing. You don’t want to get in the way of your story, overwhelming your reader with too many details, or provide the reader with too few details, leaving them incapable of imagining th...

While reading On Writing , Stephen King challenged my process of writing, “Plot is, I think, the good writer’s last resort and the dullard’s first choice.”   Damn.   Apparently, I've been writing pedantic stories.  Doesn't bode well for a successful career.    By nature, I am a control freak and prefer to plan everything out, albeit day trips, vacations or my novel.    Back in November 2010, when I embarked on the insane NaNoWriMo challenge, I created an outline of my entire mystery novel.   Being the first time I’d ever written anything so long, I felt safer with a plan.   As I wrote, my story deviated from the plan.   I listened to the story, letting it lead the way, but still knew what I wanted to happen in the story.   Of course you will find many writers split on this topic.   Some contradictory advice I’ve read says writing without an outlined plot leads to bird-walk writing.   Presenting you with the task of...