Tag: novel writing

Miscellaneous

Writing Crying Scenes

Shannon A Thompson2 Comments

Crying is a common experience. “A study in the 1980s found that women cry an average of 5.3 times per month and men cry an average of 1.3 times per month. A newer study found that the average duration for a crying session was eight minutes.” (Heathline) Does this mean your characters should cry that much in your story? Probably… Continue reading Writing Crying Scenes

Miscellaneous

When You Don’t Write As Much As You Should

Shannon A Thompson6 Comments

Recently, I didn’t write as much as I should have over a few weeks. Or should I say, I didn’t write as much as I thought I should have.  Let me break it down.  Every first of the month, I take a moment to look at my stats and see how much I've written. In March, I wrote… Continue reading When You Don’t Write As Much As You Should

Miscellaneous

Looking Back on my Pantser Novel

Shannon A Thompson1 Comment

“Are you a pantser or a plotter?” is a common question writers hear. Why? There’s something inherently interesting about how someone turns a blank page into a 350-page novel. Sure, it's easy to say that one word after another leads to a sentence, which eventually becomes a chapter, before those chapters build a book. But there’s so… Continue reading Looking Back on my Pantser Novel

Writing Tips

How to be Flexible with Writing

Shannon A Thompson3 Comments

Flexibility with your writing means you can easily shift from one project to another, even when it wasn’t in the plans.

Miscellaneous

Writing Method: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Shannon A Thompson5 Comments

With the New Year upon us—HALLELUJAH—I know many of you are gearing up to tackle your 2021 goals. Whether that’s to finally finish that WIP you’ve been working on or to start writing a novel for the first time, I thought I’d share a new writing method I’ve been using to crank out more words than I… Continue reading Writing Method: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Writing Tips

A Writer’s Freakout Schedule

Shannon A ThompsonLeave a comment

I used to think I didn’t have a freakout schedule, but then, the doubt would creep in.

Miscellaneous

Starting a Novel: Tips, Tricks, & A Little Chaos

Shannon A Thompson8 Comments

I recently finished a major revision on a manuscript. Typically that calls for a well-deserved break, to which I shake my fists at, because I am a write-aholic, and I love nothing more than to immediately jump into my next, shiny, new project. That’s right.  I already started another novel.  Why did I already start… Continue reading Starting a Novel: Tips, Tricks, & A Little Chaos

Miscellaneous

How Virtual Write-Ins Help Me During COVID-19 Lockdown

Shannon A Thompson8 Comments

It goes without saying that life is strange right now—and stressful. As someone who has moved every few years my entire life, I adapt to change pretty quickly, and yet these amount of sudden changes (and the constant drone of breaking news) has created an environment requiring constant reevaluation.  I’m exhausted, y’all. And I’m sure… Continue reading How Virtual Write-Ins Help Me During COVID-19 Lockdown

Miscellaneous

Shannon’s Top 5 Scrivener Tips

Shannon A Thompson6 Comments

It’s no secret that I love Scrivener and have since I first bought it back in 2016. In fact, here’s my first ever post about it: Writers, Should You Get Scrivener? Granted, I’ve learned a lot about Scrivener since 2016, and the software has upgraded, which is why I thought an updated post talking about… Continue reading Shannon’s Top 5 Scrivener Tips

Miscellaneous

Finishing My First Pantser Novel

Shannon A Thompson7 Comments

I finished my first panster novel. For those of you who don’t know what a panster is in publishing, it basically means you write with no plan, no outline, nothing. You write by the seat of your pants. Hence, panster. Typically, I’m an outliner. A pretty detailed one, I might add. There’s something comforting about knowing my… Continue reading Finishing My First Pantser Novel