Category Archives: Craft

Writing Tips

Thursday Thoughts: Universal Backstory

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Silver James

We’re halfway through April. It snowed this week. Always easier to social distance when the weather is yucky. But it’s April!?!? And being April, if I have any chance of meeting writing goals this year, I have to start shaking … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Words

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Silver James

One of the strategems that romance writers often use to create drama and tension is the “Great Misunderstanding”–words or actions tossed out that create hurt feelings. In romance, this has become if not a trope, a cliché. This in and … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Knowing

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Silver James

I’m nosy. I eavesdrop on conversations in public places. I watch people. I want to know what’s going on. Why? Because I’m a writer. Writers are almost always students of human nature. We have to be. Yes, characters and stories … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Signs

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Silver James

Remember that old saying about stopping to smell the roses? When Only was little, we did that. A lot. We spent over an hour watching a cicada metamorph from a “beetle” into it’s winged version. The technical term for their … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Journey

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Silver James

I swear the Universe writes romance under a pen name. (If I hadn’t met her in person, I might suspect the Big U is actually Nora Roberts/JD Robb.) Today’s message explains how to write a novel in three lines with … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Character Arc

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Silver James

One of the first things a fiction writer needs to understand is the journey a character makes from the beginning of his or her story to the end. We here in the trenches call that the character arc. Interesting stories … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Pantser

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Silver James

Once upon a time, there were Plotters and Pantsers. The two peoples maintained a civil discourse but neither side truly understood the other. Then one day, in true Romeo and Juliet tradition, a Pantser and a Plotter sat down over … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Weather

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Silver James

Maybe it’s because I grew up in Oklahoma, or worked Search and Rescue, or…maybe I’m just a little odd, but I’ve always been attuned to the weather. *shrug* For whatever reason, I pay attention to it and don’t really understand … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Adversity

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Silver James

So, after my failed imitation of a coordinated person this week, when this message from the Universe dropped into my inbox, I decided the Universe had me in its sights. 😆 But enough of real life. Let’s apply this to … Continue reading →

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Thursday Thoughts: Universal Hearts and Minds

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Silver James

I’m a romance writer. At the heart of each of my stories is a man and a woman who fall in love and entwine their lives together. When thinking through a book’s plot, I’m all about the action. Action is … Continue reading →

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