Wondering what gifts to get your writer friends (or yourself) for the holidays? Wonder no more! On today’s vlog, I share five gift ideas that are great for the holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions. Hope you enjoy watching it and hope you have a very happy holiday season! Peg Cheng is the author of … Continue reading Vlog #4: Holiday Gifts for Writers 2017
Today’s vlog was inspired by a question I received at my Fear & Writing Workshop for the Seattle Public Library’s Seattle Writes Program. Someone asked, how do you choose what to write next? Or, how do you choose what to write when you’re just starting out? It’s a great question. Short story? Essay? Poem? Novel? … Continue reading Vlog #2: How Do You Choose What to Write Next?
Last Tuesday, I finished the second draft of my suspense novel, SEVEN DUDES. It came to a little more than 61,000 words. That’s 10,000 more words than the first draft. I was THRILLED. The very next morning, Marcus and I boarded a plan for Hawaii. He had a business trip there, and remarkably, his employers … Continue reading Lessons Learned from Draft 2 of SEVEN DUDES
I’m excited to present to you my first ever VLOG! That’s a video blog post! I’m now recording vlogs in addition to writing blog posts. It’s a way to shake myself up, have fun creating something with Marcus, and most importantly, to share things I’ve learned in a visual and auditory way, rather than just … Continue reading Vlog #1! How to Feel the Fear & Write Every Day
For the past ten months, I’ve been struggling with the armature of my suspense novel, SEVEN DUDES DOC AND THE SEVEN. Before I tell you about my struggles, let’s define armature. And since I can’t say it any better than my friend and teacher, Brian McDonald, I’m going to let him tell you what it … Continue reading All About Armature
This Monday, I finished the first draft of my suspense novel, SEVEN DUDES DOC AND THE SEVEN. I clocked in at a little over 51,000 words. Like a round of cheese being nibbled on by mice, my draft has some holes in it, but it’s still whole and finished. As my friend Lewis likes to … Continue reading Lessons Learned From the First Draft of SEVEN DUDES
The definition of fulcrum is “the point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots.” Another definition is “a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation.” Brian McDonald, author of the writing book, Invisible Ink, writes that “Act 2 is your longest act … Continue reading To Improve, You Have to Finish
If you read my earlier post on writing the back cover of THE CONTENDERS, then you know why I think it’s a smart move to write your book’s back cover FIRST before you write your book. I also mentioned in that post that it takes me many, many, many drafts to get the back cover … Continue reading Writing the Back Cover of SEVEN DUDES
If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking. This Buddhist proverb pretty much sums up my motto for the rest of the year. After a week of fear, doubt, and self-loathing, I realized I needed to do something drastically different. I decided to simplify my daily … Continue reading Less Writing Leads to Better Writing
Before I write a novel, I plan and plot it out. To me, planning and plotting is like creating your map before going on a road trip. Unlike Plotters, I don’t want to map out every single stop along the way; but unlike Pantsers, I also don’t want to take off and not know where … Continue reading How I Plan and Plot a Novel
