M.A. Kropp: Writer, Blogger, GeekGirl. My Life. My Words. My Way.
Of course they do. It's all the little things that make a story come alive for a reader. As a writer, my job is to not only tell a good story, but to make my readers feel as if the story is real. That often means adding all sorts of detail along with the main … Continue reading Wednesday On Writing: Details Matter, Right?
Nothing really major to report. The world is moving along, the days are longer, and we are having some very Spring-like weather. I have some garden plants starting in the basement on the new heat mats. They seem to be doing their job. It's been about a week and I have a few seedlings poking … Continue reading Monday Musings: A Bit of This, A Dash of That
A lot of people are not big fans of the grammar check function in word processors. Many wish they could turn it off, but many times, it's tied to the spell check function and that one is useful. Usually. I will confess that I don't absolutely hate grammar check software. I don't think I'd miss … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: Why Do Word Processors Even Have Grammar Check?
How do you know when your story is done? That is a very good question, and I'm afraid there isn't a very good answer. Because, for the most part, it never really is. "But you have stories and books that you have published. Aren't they done?" Well, yes, they are. At least, they have a … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: When Is It Done?
Imposter Syndrome can affect anyone in any part of their life, but I am going to focus here on what it means for a writer. First, what is Imposter Syndrome? It's the deep down feeling that you aren't a "real" writer. That what you have done, published, accomplished so far isn't good enough or important … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: Imposter Syndrome
One of the questions writers get asked a lot is: Where do you get your ideas? I think the most common answer is: Everywhere! I also think it's the truest one, at least for me. An article read online. Something on TV. A snippet of overheard conversation. A picture. It just pops into your head. … Continue reading Wednesday on Writing: Ideas
We all have heard the Staving Artist Myth. You know- the writer or artist or creator who sits in a freezing attic, making a packet of ramen noodles last for a week's worth of meals, cold, hungry, alone, but fulfilled. Oh, so romantic, right? No. At least not to me. But we are too often given … Continue reading Chuck Wendig on the Starving Artist
It's February, isn't it? January seemed to disappear, especially on the writing front. I got very little done in the past month. It's been hard to get going again. I can't seem to get back into a writing routine. "Ah, yes," they say, nodding knowingly. "Writer's block. Happens to everyone." Well, no. If you have … Continue reading Monday Musings: Writing Updates
That's right. One more day to take advantage of the presale discount on my new space opera novel, Two's Company. It's scifi action-adventure featuring Deuce Grainger, a poker playing, Scotch drinking shuttle jockey faced with losing her main source of income if her friend's terraforming company is sabotaged out of business. Her companion AI Personality may … Continue reading One Day More: Two’s Company Drops Tomorrow!
For many authors, whether traditional or independently published, pitching is a difficult part of what we do. Pitching isn't exclusive to publishing, of course, but for our purposes, I will limit this post to how it relates to authors. When you pitch your book, you are essentially selling it- to an agent, a publisher, a … Continue reading Monday Musings: Pitch That
And So On... 