My Muse's Musings

When I first started writing to be published, I studied my craft for many years. I practiced my craft too though nothing I wrote at that time was ever published. My writing wasn't ready then.  I have 9 manuscripts under my bed that will never see the light of day. And each one has a spark of possibility but the skill is missing. So they will never be published.  During my learning period  I purchased a book titled,   The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines, Sixteen Master Archetypes written by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders.  I read it a few days later. Rather I consumed it. It gave me an insight into building characters that I hadn’t experienced before. For weeks afterward, I found myself analyzing every character in every book I read and every movie I watched. And it was fun to figure them out. It also gave me food for thought when I created my own characters. I attempted to keep my characters evolving from one archetype to anoth...

Story Boarding  by Teresa Reasor    What is a Story Board? A story board is an aid used to help the writer both brainstorm and to visualize the different elements of their plot. It can be used to insure the character arcs are realized, the turning points in character development are reached, and also monitor the forward momentum of the plot.   With the use of brainstorming, post-it notes, colored markers, or the computer, you can plot an entire novel, tie up all your loose ends, and insure your plot doesn't falter. The Different ways to construct a Story Board. You can construct a story board the old fashioned way and use a desk calendar and five different color markers. You can use a laminated desk calendar for teachers you can purchase at Office Depot or any teacher supply store. And three to five different colored Post-it notes. You can use a laminated desk calendar and three to five Vis-à-v...