Minutes Can Make a Mark
My January writing for the most part was consistent, but with taking on a new job, a new role, February has soaked up every ounce of...
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Chris Marshall
- Jan 10, 2021
- 1 min
Writing crisp dialogue. What does that even mean?
Sometimes advice comes along and strikes me as so obvious and so unhelpful at the same time. This is like saying "cut out all the boring...
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Chris Marshall
- Dec 7, 2020
- 1 min
Failed Novels
It has taken me about five failed novels to really understand the truth of these words. When I envisioned the stories of my earlier...
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Chris Marshall
- Nov 24, 2020
- 1 min
Opening Promises and DNF's
I've read first paragraphs that were long--too long, and some that were only one sentence, but even in those shorter ones there are...
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Chris Marshall
- Oct 31, 2020
- 1 min
The NaNoWriMo Notebook
In preparation for NaNoWriMo I'm breaking out a fresh notebook today. I'm shooting for 30K to fill out my second half. This should give...
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Chris Marshall
- Oct 24, 2020
- 1 min
Simple Goals, Complex Stories
I've mentioned in other posts that I've written more than a few books before my current WIP. There are many reasons why those failed as...
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Chris Marshall
- Oct 17, 2020
- 1 min
Writing Mentors and Hard Lessons
You won't find this quotation in a book anywhere or on Goodreads. This was given to me personally by Canadian author, Richard Scrimger,...
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Chris Marshall
- Oct 3, 2020
- 1 min
Tapping the Soul of Your Story Through Objects
I purchased this drinking horn from Grimfrost in Sweden, same with the curved belt knife. They're handmade, and completely awesome. The...
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Chris Marshall
- Sep 26, 2020
- 1 min
Aspire to Finish
There was a time, a stretch of years, where I had assumed I was endlessly working on the same book. I finished a draft. It was garbage. I...
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Chris Marshall
- Sep 19, 2020
- 1 min
Listening as Investing
This is good advice for everyone, not just writers. Too often we're thinking about how the topic of conversation relates to us and how...
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Chris Marshall
- Sep 12, 2020
- 1 min
When Characters Ignore the Plot
I love this piece of advice, not just because I've had so many times where characters decided to do something other than I had planned...
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Chris Marshall
- Sep 3, 2020
- 1 min
Notebooks, Sketchbooks, Journals...
I've recently had an interesting back and forth with writer on Instagram about our many uses of journals and notebooks, and the different...
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Chris Marshall
- Aug 27, 2020
- 1 min
Finding Your Story
I think this is a common pitfall writers face when they're just starting to find their footing. I've certainly fallen into this trap....
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Chris Marshall
- Aug 20, 2020
- 1 min
Analogue Drafts
I'm took a break from editing the novel recently and starting a new short story in the Rifleman series. When I'm writing something new I...
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Chris Marshall
- Aug 13, 2020
- 1 min
The Stress of Daily Word Counts
What do most writers considers to be a bad day? For me it isn't meeting word counts as much as it is sitting for hours in front of my...
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Chris Marshall
- Aug 6, 2020
- 1 min
Just Write Something. Anything.
When faced with writer's block, how many of us have heard the advice that we just need to write something? Anything. I've been in that...
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Chris Marshall
- Jul 30, 2020
- 1 min
What makes Pulitzer-worthy writing?
I love this quotation because it not only fulfills itself but succinctly describes the job of any writer in any genre. For me, I tend to...
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Chris Marshall
- Jul 23, 2020
- 1 min
The Easy Road
When I first started writing fiction I didn't know what I was doing and so my language ended up being simple and straightforward. Then I...
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Chris Marshall
- Jul 15, 2020
- 1 min
Delve Deeply
I have made the mistake of cramming so much backstory and unnecessary description into my early drafts that bogged the reading down and...
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