VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

It has often been said that writing is a pursuit best undertaken as a hobby or a genuine passion, with any financial gains resulting from it being viewed as a bonus. Although almost every writer, whether specializing in fiction or non-fiction, likely dreams of fortune, fame and topping a best-sellers list, the contrasting reality for many is that their writing barely pays the bills, even if they have a supreme talent. The writing profession as a whole is sometimes overly romanticized and writing is perceived to be one of the elite arts, with the printing press offering people a chance of immortality. When people speak of great writers, images of Shakespeare or Milton spring to mind, yet, on the flip side, there are a host of talented writers who have failed to achieve such far-reaching success and influence, or have failed to make money from writing during their lifetimes, despite seemingly having the talent to do so. It is clear, therefore, that the difference bet

Ah, anticipation...the breath before the kiss...accidental touches that stir the embers...the boundaries yet to be crossed...the art of sexual tension.   Just like in real life, flirting needs to be a part of every romance novel.   The give and take, lean in, lean away, to kiss or not to kiss, the glance, the biting of the lip, the inner debate between yes and no...all of that is integral in fueling desire.   Think about how you first know you’re attracted to someone.   It’s usually a physical reaction that you can’t quite put into words, right?   Sure, it’s easy to say someone is attractive, but I’ve met quite a few attractive people that I don’t feel sexual toward.   Desire is a purely physical and emotional response to someone else.   Conveying that in written word is best done through non-verbal cues or physical responses.   As the saying goes, show don’t tell.   In the beginning, I’ll often have my characters acting nonchalant with their dialogue while conveying desire

It has often been said that writing is a pursuit best undertaken as a hobby or a genuine passion, with any financial gains resulting from it being viewed as a bonus. Although almost every writer, whether specialising in fiction or non-fiction, likely dreams of fortune, fame and topping a best-sellers list, the contrasting reality for many is that their writing barely pays the bills, even if they have a supreme talent. The writing profession as a whole is sometimes overly romanticised and writing is perceived to be one of the elite arts, with the printing press offering people a chance of immortality. When people speak of great writers, images of Shakespeare or Milton spring to mind, yet, on the flip side, there are a host of talented writers who have failed to achieve such far-reaching success and influence, or have failed to make money from writing during their lifetimes, despite seemingly having the talent to do so. It is clear, therefore, that the difference betwe

Every good writer will always want to improve upon his or her work. Any good writer doesn't simply write for a living or want to write for a living; they want to write and love to write. What's better than loving what you do for a living! However, how can you get better? There are many methods that you can use and tips you can follow that can give you the edge when it comes to completing each and every piece of work. 1. Reread your existing work. The first step is to reread your own work. You may spot errors or areas that can be improved. This is unlikely if a deeper issue lurks underneath the surface, but surface errors are easy to spot. 2. Learn to critique your work. Critiquing your work is a good step to take if you want to improve because you can go through every piece that you have ever written and list areas of improvement for yourself rather than getting others involved. 3. Read articles that give you information on how to improve. There are many o

Be Yourself: Tips For Finding Your Own Writing Style As a writer, you have to have some sort of individuality in order to stand out from the crowd. If you look at all of the successful authors, you'll notice they all have their own distinctive writing style. Here are a few tips to help you find your own writing style. Keep a journal and an ideas book. Keeping a journal will allow you to write every day and give you a place to express yourself. Writing in a journal every day will help you find your own style as a result. You can use a number of techniques (stream of consciousness, question and answer, periodic reflection), in order to find the writing style that is perfect for you. In contrast, you can write down all ideas you have in your ideas book. If you take it with you wherever you go, you will soon fill it up. So whenever you need something good to write for an employer, you will have a ready bank of ideas there to tap into! Experiment every chance you ge

You may have thought from time to time that you’d like to keep a diary or a journal. You may even have started one...or two...or who knows how many, over the years. Perhaps you are one of those people with enough self-discipline to write briefly in a diary every evening, year after year, and start a new volume each New Year’s Day! In that case, you have a pretty good record of your doings and maybe even your thoughts about them over time.   There are, however, many possibilities for journaling using various "guided" techniques. To get you started, you may want to give some thought to what you want to get out of journaling. Do you just want to record your memories, as days and months go by? Then a normal diary, or journal, is probably just what you need -- that, and a pen. But if you want to get to know yourself better, find the source of some ongoing problem in your life, or give yourself a nudge toward doing some creative writing, then you might consider one

Too many characters in novels are too much alike. As a result, the stories and the characters' actions (and reactions) become predictable. You'd already know what would happen only a few chapters in the story! This is what you want to avoid when you're writing your own story – having characters that are too much like the other characters. There are way you can create characters that are different enough from each other that your readers won't get bored. Here are a few tips on how to do just that...

I was asked by a long time friend and writer to share a bit about my past and how I started out as a writer, editor and founder of Stories for Children Publishing. I welcome you to stop by and leave a comment. “SPECIAL GUEST POST”: Virginia Grenier – From Buyer to Writer I am so excited to be finally welcoming a very special guest whom I have known,  oh gosh!, for a few years now, since she critiqued a draft of my novel (still a work in progress), after I found her on the internet.  Very green and not knowing anything about how to approach editors or agents, or about writing in general,  I remember my email asking if she would take a look and tell me whether it was worth my while continuing or should we just bin my story.   Her warm and surprising email was the catalyst to my writing life today, and I still have that email.  She is also the angel who came to my rescue with a copy of the critiqued novel, on hearing my copy had been stolen from my car the other week along

Writer, write with passion. The kind of writing you produce shall oftentimes reflect the current state of your emotions. Be indifferent and your writing will be indifferent. Be cheerful and watch the words dance across your page. Whenever you sit down to write, put your heart and soul in it. Write with passion. Write as if you won't live tomorrow. Writer, write with purpose. Be goal-oriented. Do you write everyday with the purpose of getting published tomorrow? Writer, write with awareness. Be alert. Be observant. Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. Your job as a writer is to capture as many of these things and write them down, weave stories, and create characters that jump out of the pages of your notebook. Don't let anything escape your writer's eye, not even the way the old man tries to subtly pick his nose or the way an old lady fluffs her hair in a diner. What you can't use today, you can use tomorrow so it is good to store these in

As writers, we write to be understood. To get our message across without any hitches. To express what we really mean in clear and un-vague terms. That's why we have to use precise words. And this is achieved by using accurate and expressive words. When someone asks you, "How are you?" What's your normal reply? You probably say, "I'm OK." OK, well, most of us tend to give a reply along that line. But the thing is, with that kind of reply, do you think the person who asked you will have a clear idea of how you really are? I mean, if someone sincerely wanted to know how you are, she would expect a clear answer. Let's face it, "OK" is a vague term. How OK are you exactly? OK as in really great? OK as in, "I'm getting by..."? OK as in "Gosh, I'm dying here!" Well, you get the picture. People tend to be lazy to express exactly what they mean. Words like, "OK," "Nice," "Fine,&

When I first got the notification that my manuscript was accepted by Halo Publishing, I was overjoyed. It was an amazing feeling when I got the first shipment of books and seeing my name on the cover and my picture on the back. It was really a dream come true. This whole experience has not changed my relationship with any of my friends- many of whom have bought my books for the holidays.  I have found it very difficult to balance writing, the process of publishing, and publicizing the book, with my schoolwork and hobbies. I give Virginia a lot of credit with putting up with me not keeping up with deadlines etc. However, I believe that family comes first, and then school work, and then anything else.  On the side I participate in the Zoo Crew at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, which is a group that teaches the public about the animals on exhibit. I also am in involved with the Future Scientists groups at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History that does surveys of wildlife on variou