VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

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...

I don’t know about other writers with kids at home, but I’m ready for school to start. Trying to get anything done lately has been well…let’s just say, my personal writing and blogging is taking a very big backseat to everything else.  It’s funny because the reason I started this blog was to 1) get myself writing again after having my baby girl over a year ago and 2) share with all of you who write with kids at home that you’re not alone in trying to balance it all. So here, I am writing about how I am having trouble with the balancing act this summer. The irony of it all. Well it’s not as if I thought I was perfect. Heck, I laugh half the time and cry the other half when I get emails from fellow writers commenting, “Virginia, you amaze me. I just don’t know how you do it all.” In truth…neither do I. I do have to say I am lucky to have the support of many fellow writers, known as the SFC Team, helping me out. I also have partnered with some great writers as well. They give me sup...

This is something I need to be better about myself. I hope you all enjoy this guest post. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Writing in a journal every day takes discipline. There is no better way to learn the nuts and bolts of good writing, however. Daily journal writing not only helps you unwind and figure out your feelings, it also gives you that practice time needed to become a skilled writer. So how do you start this habit of daily journaling? First, consider whether you are a morning person or a night owl. The morning person wakes with a clear, lively mind that is just bursting to get on paper. Taking a half hour or so in the morning to clarify thoughts and express yourself can be very rewarding. For the night owl, though, things unfold more slowly. If this is you, you'll probably want to schedule your daily journaling time right before you go to bed, as a way to unwind. The time of day that you are at your creative best is important if you want your ideas to flow freely. If morning hours...