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Showing posts from July, 2016

Character Writing Lessons from a Dog

As I’ve practiced the craft of writing, I’ve read a lot about creating characters. They say your main characters should be compelling. They should have positive traits, but also flaws. They should be well-rounded, with individual quirks and personality traits. They should make the reader care.   Many years ago, I had a dog named Barney. I learned about him from a newspaper ad. Someone had found him running loose but couldn’t keep him, so she took him to a shelter, paid to sponsor him, and ran an ad to find him a home. The fact that he was running loose when she found him should have been a clue, but I missed it. I adopted him.  He wasn’t a beautiful dog. That blurry snapshot above flatters him. He generally looked as though someone had crossed Toto from The Wizard of Oz with Stripe from Gremlins . Barney had wiry hair that tended to stick up randomly and didn’t encourage the petting he loved. He was smart and affectionate, but he wasn't trouble-free. He lived to ro

Working on a Cover

Thanks to everyone who voted and commented on possible covers for After the Fireweed . The mountains were the overwhelming favorite. (Sorry moose.) I know a lot of romance readers prefer people on a cover. I tend to lean the other way. I like to imagine the characters based on the description in the book, rather than the cover.  So I've been playing with the mountain scene a little, trying to make it a little dreamier and more romantic. What do you think? Does darkening the background make it more romantic? Or just fog up the view?  16% of vote 75% of vote