April Davila - Author
Color coding Scrivener is one of my favorite little writerly tricks. It's just so freaking handy. Here's how it works. In the binder of your project simply right-click on any item (or selection of items) and move your mouse down the resulting … [Continue reading] about Color Coding Scrivener
I met the poet Dr. Deborah Bayer a few months ago at an online writing group and she was gracious enough to send me an advance copy of her new chapbook, Rope Made of Bandages. Reading poetry is a fantastic way to prime our brains for writing. The … [Continue reading] about Interview Poet Dr. Deborah Bayer
In movies and online, solitary moments spent in front of a blank page are often romanticized. However, the truth is that the journey of a writer can be a challenging and lonely one if not for a vibrant and supportive writing community. Engaging with … [Continue reading] about The Power of Community: Why Writers Thrive Together
A few years ago a dear friend told me about how, when she knows she's going to travel to a place, she likes to get novels that are set in that place and read them before, during, and after the trip. I couldn't believe I had never thought of that. … [Continue reading] about Fiction Makes Travel More Delicious
I am embarrassed to admit that, eight years and countless drafts into writing my first novel, I finally came to truly understand a piece of writing advice I had heard countless times: Make your characters want something. Seriously, I thought? I'm … [Continue reading] about Make Your Characters Want Something
Today we wrap up my little 3-part series on writing flashbacks. In Part 1 we talked about why to use flashbacks (and why not). In Part 2 we talked about the differences between flashbacks and memories. Today I want to talk through some of the nuts … [Continue reading] about Writing Flashbacks
This week, for the second installment of my 3-part series on flashback, we're going to talk a little about how we give our characters backstory. (Click here to read Part 1: Flashbacks: Why Use Them?) The two main tools at our disposal as authors are … [Continue reading] about Flashback vs Memory