While walking today along a path I’ve taken many times, it occurred to me that writing is like my walks. Even when I’m going down the same path – building characters, developing plot, filling in details – I always find something new and exciting.I never know what I’ll find on my walk. Like the sunlight hitting …

I’m at that point in my writing where I focus on making the villain as strong a character as possible. To help me with that, I’m brushing up on my writing craft. Which includes reading 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains by Sacha Black.Because how can there be strong conflict without a powerful …

My discounted year of Masterclass ends tomorrow. Since I’m not going to renew, I’ve been watching as many videos on writing and creativity as I can fit into my day. For the most part, I’ve watched entire classes. However, today in particular, I’ve been skipping around. Then I landed on a class that I’m absolutely loving: Issa …

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that one of the problems in my first drafts is that I raise the plot stakes for the characters too quickly, leaving little room for escalation.  I jokingly refer to this problem as the nuclear war problem, because the only option left for an exciting climax …

I do not understand transport company logic. I ordered an item from Georgia in the United States. When I checked the shipping update, I discovered that instead of it being sent straight up the east coast, which is the most direct route, it was at a facility in Texas.That is halfway across the country from where …

I just returned from my first visit to Niagara Falls. While the Falls themselves were as majestic and awe-inspiring as I’d expected, they didn’t trigger any story ideas.Horseshoe Falls from the exit of the Niagara Parks Power Station. Photo copyright 2025 by Vanessa Kier.However, my visit to the Niagara Parks Power Station did give me an …