If you read last week's post, you know that I am working on both the hero and villain of my work-in-progress. And now that it is December, I can expand on each character's theme, a sub-thread that is solely theirs. A personal theme can shape how each character reacts and interacts throughout the narrative. The themes were established in the first book, but they (and the characters) will evolve as the story does.

Title: The Sycamores by Alexandre Calame Genre: landscape art Date: 1854 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: height: 54.3 cm (21.3 in) Collection: Cincinnati Art Museum What I love about this painting: I live in the pacific Northwest, a part of the world where sycamore trees do not grow in the wild. They are native to the eastern United States and are often featured as part of the landscape in 18th and 19th-century American literature.

Today is the first day of December 2025. Over the last 30 days, I have written more than 50,000 words to finish the plot of a novel that is ½ of a duology. The story is too big and would make a giant doorstop of a book, so I am splitting it. Book one is a complete first draft and desperately needs revising, but book two has barely begun.

Title: Feast in the Interior. Artist: Unknown. Flemish School of the 17th century, Medium: Oil on canvas. Size: 57 x 89 cm. What I love about this painting: Based on the boy's interactions with his mother, I would have titled this painting "It's not my fault!" I assume she is his mother based on the level of frustration she is showing.

I have a favorite author, one who writes both sci-fi and fantasy. I really enjoy all his work, in both genres. However, I'm not going to name him because I am going to dissect what I love and don't love about his work. I never write a review for books I don't love, and I have reviewed most, but not all, of his work.

I have said this before, but life is like a blended margarita from the ice cube's point of view. Every now and then, Ice Cube gets a little cocky, cruising along, thinking "The s**t-storm is over! Everything is going to be fine." Invariably, that's when the powers-that-be turn on the blender. Let's be honest. This is real life. The s**t-storm is never really over.

Artist: John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) Title: The Bridge of Sighs Date: between 1905 and 1908 Medium: watercolor on paper Dimensions: height: 25.4 cm (10 in); width: 35.6 cm (14 in) Collection: Brooklyn Museum Current location: American Art collection What I love about this picture: I love the work of John Singer Sargent. He was known for his portraits and the scandals that sometimes followed him, but it is his watercolors that fascinate me.

This week's post is a reprint of a post on voice and how we phrase things. It first appeared here on February 17, 2020. Writing is journey. When I began writing, the way I placed my words slowed my prose, made it more passive. As I have grown, I have learned to place my verbs in such a way that the prose is more active.

Artist: Asher Brown Durand  (1796–1886) Title: The Beeches Genre: landscape art Date: 1845 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: 60 3/8 x 48 1/8 in. (153.4 x 122.2 cm) Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art Current location: American Paintings and Sculpture What I love about this painting: It's been raining cats and dogs here, a regular monsoon.

As many of you know, every November I set a writing quest goal for myself. Some years, it is to write the skeleton of an entire novel in 30 days. Other years, the goal might be to write a complete short story every day. This year, my goal is to write the skeleton of a novel that is the second half of a duology.

Twilight Confidences by Cecilia Beaux  (1855–1942) Date: 1888 Medium:  oil on canvas Dimensions: 23 1/2 x 28 inches, 59.7 x 71.1 cm Inscriptions: Signed and dated: Cecilia Beaux What I love about this painting: This is one of my all-time favorite paintings. It is not merely a portrait of how two women looked on a summer's day; it tells us a story.

Words are the paints that we who write use to convey our ideas to the world. In English, which is a mash-up of several other languages, we have so many wonderful, wild words it is impossible to use them all in one book. Even the most comprehensive dictionaries can't contain them all. Commonly used words often fall out of fashion, while new words are being invented and dropping into use every day.

Artist: George Henry Durrie (1820–1863) Title: English: Haying at Jones Inn Date: 1854 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: 22"×30" Location: Private collection What I love about this painting: George Henry Durrie found beauty in the depictions of ordinary life. He always found a way to fit people into his scenes. I absolutely love the nostalgia of this scene, and the wealth of information about how a reputable roadside inn worked.

Today, we're continuing our Preptober series by designing a conflict and a story arc. I write fantasy, but every story is the same, no matter the set dressing. Protagonist A needs something desperately, and Antagonist B stands in their way. What does the protagonist want? Everyone wants something. The story is in the way they fulfill that need, or what happens when they don't. 

Artist: Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) Title: Autumn Woods, Oneida County, State of New York Date: 1886 Medium: Oil on linen Dimensions: Overall (linen): 54 x 84 in. (137.2 x 213.4 cm) Framed: 64 3/4 in. × 7 ft. 10 3/4 in. × 3 1/4 in. (164.5 × 240.7 × 8.3 cm) Collection: New York Historical  (Gift of Mrs.

Every year since 2010, I have participated in the annual challenge of writing a 50,000-word (or more) novel in November. I was a Municipal Liaison for the now defunct organization known as NaNoWriMo for twelve years, but dropped that gig when the folks at NaNo HQ got too full of themselves and lost the concepts the organization was found on.

Artist: Anders Andersen-Lundby (1841–1923) Title: English: An autumn walk in the English Garden of Munich. German: Herbstspaziergang im englischen Garten in München. Date: 1887 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: height: 77 cm (30.3 in); width: 106 cm (41.7 in) Inscriptions: Signature and date: 1887 What I love about this painting: Anders Anderson-Lundby shows us the perfect autumn day for a stroll.

October has arrived, or as many writers will tell you, Preptober. This is the month when November Writers begin preparing for November's annual writing rumble, the event formerly known as NaNoWriMo. They may create a list of characters and their respective roles. Some, like me, will begin with worldbuilding, drawing a map of where the story will take place and thinking about the people who will bring that world to life.

Title: Autumn in Towadako Artist: Li Mei-shu Date: 1978 Medium: oil on canvas. What I love about this painting: I love how this painting shows a pool of water at the base of the trees. I suspect the pond is dry during summer but in fall, the low area fills. The light shines through the trees and reflects on the water.

Do you have a backlog of short stories? One of the best ways to build a reputation as an author is to submit your work to magazines and anthologies. At first, finding places to submit your work can be challenging, but it's not impossible. Here are links to two Facebook groups where publishers post open calls for short stories. I have posted these before, and they are still relevant.

Artist: Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) Title:  (English)The Alyscamps, or The Three Graces at the Temple of Venus French: French: Les Alyscamps, ou Les Trois grâces au temple de Venus Date: 1888 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: height: 91.6 cm (36 in); width: 72.5 cm (28.5 in) Collection: Musée d'Orsay What I love about this painting…

Every writer is different, with a unique approach to getting their work on paper. There is no one-size-fits-all method for taking a story from an idea, a "what if" moment, to a finished piece. Each of us has to find our own way. As an indie, my deadlines are self-imposed, so my production timelines aren't as finite as a writer who is under contract.

Artist: Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) Title: Indian Sunset – Deer by a Lake Date: circa 1880-1890 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: height: 77.2 cm (30.3 in); width: 113.1 cm (44.5 in) Collection: Yale University Art Gallery What I love about this painting: I love the way the setting sun glows through the rising mist, shining across the still waters of the lake.

Every now and then, one of the forums I visit will have a group of people engaged in a little gripe session, sparking a series of comments on how English seems to be sliding in a new and degenerate direction. I've said it before, and I will say it again: English is the ever-disintegrating language. The very roots of English encourage its continual evolution, and the advent of smartphones and the internet have this rollercoaster hurtling downhill.

Artist: John Williamson (1826–1885) Title: Autumn, Hudson River Date: 1871 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: 45.7 × 58.4 cm (17.9 × 22.9 in). Inscriptions: Signed and inscribed verso (now covered by relining): Autumn. / Hudson River. / By J. W. Williamson / N.Y. 1871 What I love about this painting: Williamson shows us a peaceful autumn day on New York's Hudson River, focusing on the quiet beauty of wild grass and calm waters.