VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

I'm happy to say that I finally finished the one book holding me up from starting this challenge and "Honeymoon" by James Patterson as my first book from the list (suggested book to read by friends, spouse, etc). Okay, so I guess I should give some feedback on the book I just finished reading...right? Well, this was an easy read, and if I had carved out some time one weekend, I might have been able to finish this novel in one day. It's a fast moving storyline and one I enjoyed reading not only as a reader but also with an author ear. What do I mean by this? "Honeymoon" breaks the POV rule we are heard when it comes to writing as a first-time or even as a seasoned author. I was surprised to find both 1st person and 3rd person point of view alternately throughout the book. Kid you not. It was well done, and the transition between the two different POV's was smoothly done. A true master. What I liked about the book was getting into the both the pro...

In a lot of the writing groups and conferences I've been to the topic of research has come up from time to time. There are many different opinions on the subject, and many will tell you research is only necessary when you are writing about something you know very little to nothing about. But is this really the case and if it is, does your writing suffer from not doing research all the time? After writing many short stories and picture books for young readers, my opinion on doing research might be very different from yours. I have always felt research is critical no matter how much I know or don't know about a certain subject. There is always something I learn each time, even on topics I know a lot about as things are always changing, and changing fast sometimes these days. However, I thought I was just one of the weird writers out there feeling this way until I took a research workshop with James Patterson, who had this to say about research. "Research really he...

Here is my weekly report on my 2016 Reading Challenge. I'd love to say I'm on track and reading up a storm, but this would only be sort of correct. I have been reading, but not the book I said I would be starting with... Honeymoon by James Patterson. Currently, I'm trying to finish up a book I started in 2015 but don't read every chance I get. I wonder if I could somehow include this on my list of books to read in 2016? How about read a book you didn't finish in the pervious year (2015)? That works, right? Anyway, I'm planning on finishing up this book and jumping into the reading challenge by this coming week. That's the goal and I'll be sure to update you this time next week on how I did. Let me know how you're doing with this reading challenge or just share some great books you think I might enjoy reading. If they don't fit into my list of books to read for 2016, I'll see if I can come up with a new category for it on the list...

James Patterson said, "Once you have your original plot condensed, call a friend and share the pitch. Pause for a moment and see if they ask for more. If they do, you might be onto something." Raw ideas may come to you all the time. I know I come across new ideas all the time and daily sometimes. However, not all those raw ideas are worth turning into stories and this is why it is important to take those ideas and work them into a plot or as James Patterson suggests, "Use your favorite raw idea and write a plot down in 3 to 5 concise sentences." This sounds a bit easier than it is and so I'm here to share two of my raw ideas written down into a 3 to 5 concise sentence plot. Let me know what you think and if you're brave, I'd love for you to share a raw idea written down into a 3 to 5 concise sentence plot. Raw Idea #1 Coming of age, paranormal, mystery about a young girl, Kayla, who starts seeing things after the stabbing of her best friend during...

There are many different methods to get and collect ideas. Every writer has their way of coming up with ideas, but where do these ideas come from? James Patterson says, "The more you know about, the more likely you are to combine things to make an idea that’s striking." I found this to be a fascinating thought as many of my ideas come from my life as I have moved more times than my age. I have experienced many things for only being 40 years old. Yep, I just told you how old I am. However, my ideas don't only come from my experiences in life. I also talk to and ask questions of loved ones, family members, friends, etc. For example, my first published short story was inspired by my dad's childhood. I took three different stories from his youth to write the short story "Flying Upside Down" for the former Fandangle Magazine (see below), which was later republished in Stories for Children Magazine. Story ideas can come from other sources too like a wr...

"Life happens" is a saying I've heard thrown around a lot throughout my life. What does it really mean though? Life gets in the way of your dreams? Really? Isn't it life we are living everyday and aren't your dreams part of it? Does it mean bad things happen so we must learn to deal with it and just keep moving forward? However, isn't that really a road block in your journey through life instead of life itself?    Here are a couple of quotes using this saying:   "Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair." Rick Warren   "I believe that we can, in a deliberate way, articulate the kind of people we want to become. We can articulate the culture that we would want to exist in our family, and you can then, as the rest of life happens to you, you can utilize those things to ...