by kristinoakley | Nov 9, 2019 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
It’s official–I’m a Wrimo which means I’m participating in NaNoWriMo. No, that’s not a new weight loss program or exercise regiment. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and is a project that inspires people to write 50,000...
by kristinoakley | Oct 18, 2019 | Books and Movies, Fictional Research, Newsletter
I just finished reading Stephen King’s latest novel The Institute and it’s now one of my favorite books by this master. The stakes are high in this tale of kidnapping, telepathy, and saving the world. The tension is palatable, the characters are...
by kristinoakley | Sep 22, 2019 | Books and Movies, For Readers, Newsletter
My daughters and I take one big trip together every year. This year we went to San Francisco and Napa Valley — we just got back on last Monday! We’re huge bibliophiles so we manage to sneak in a stop at a bookstore, library, or an author’s favorite...
by kristinoakley | Aug 31, 2019 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
Where on Earth do I get ideas for my stories? From dreams? Fairy dust? Alcohol? No . . . not exactly. Sometimes I use my idea generator. I call it my “If I Were Supreme Ruler of the World, What Would I Do?” scenario. It’s similar to what Stephen King...
by kristinoakley | Aug 16, 2019 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
In my last newsletter, “Editing Out the Lightbulb”, I asked for feedback on how to begin The Devil Particle and received twenty-four responses! To refresh your memory, here were the choices: “The burnt-out lightbulb makes a satisfying ‘pop’ as I...
by kristinoakley | Aug 2, 2019 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
I’m in the process of reworking the beginning of my young adult dystopian novel The Devil Particle and could use some help. Which of the following book openings do you prefer? Which book would you be more likely to keep reading? Let me know! “The burnt-out...
by kristinoakley | Jul 22, 2019 | Newsletter, Writing Life
Not that long ago, writers had only one way to get published — acquire a literary agent who would then sell the book to a publisher, the traditional route to publication. Oh sure, Charles Dickens self-published A Christmas Carol and Beatrix Potter...
by kristinoakley | Jul 1, 2019 | Conferences, Newsletter
Do you have a passion, something that excites and inspires you? Painting, gardening, tennis, playing a musical instrument, cooking? How often do you get to pursue it? What would it be like if you had six days devoted exclusively to that passion? From June 17th to the...
