Maria's Journal

By its very nature, writing is deeply introspective work and when in the groove writers can easily spend eight to ten hours writing non-stop and when the writing gets good, even more. Sure, making time for writing is important, but being glued to the keyboard for days at a time with no social interaction can and will wreak havoc on our physical and emotional health. Conversely, lack of physical activity and isolation often contribute to depression, weight gain, and poor productivity. So what's a writer to do? While it is necessary for us writers to immerse ourselves in our work we do need to be self-aware and recognize unhealthy triggers. As long as writing has been a profession many well-established authors have held down outside jobs and managed to successfully juggle writing, work and family responsibilities. It is a very delicate balance, but it can be done. Here are three top tips writers can adhere to for a healthier and happier life: Breaks Take break...

In my early teens when I began writing, I didn’t even know there were different styles of writing. As a young woman, I was just thrilled with the idea of world building. I discovered I had the power to change a person’s fate with a few simple keystrokes and that fascinated me. As the years went by and more responsibilities were piled onto my plate writing became secondary soon I’d stopped writing altogether. It wasn’t until just a few years back that I delved into world of fiction again employing the only method I’d ever known, the make-it-up-as-you-go-along method. When I set out to create my first short story Captive I started with nothing but a blank Word document and the hero’s voice in my head. The plot and supporting characters would emerge during the course of that first draft. As you might imagine my initial attempt at this short story didn’t go so well as plot lines were changed and/or added along the way. The second and third manuscript drafts were just slightly bet...

I know what you are, but what am I? Any romance writers out there?  Do you ever ask yourselves, where does my writing material fall? Am I a chick lit writer? Or maybe I write contemporary? Or, is it erotic? If this is you, take a look below at a brief summary of the most popular subgenres in romance today. Contemporary This genre is set in present time (after World War II) and it focuses primarily on the emotional attachment between the leading characters. In contemporary romance the relationship is typically monogamous and not explicit (sexual content/language). Also, the intimacy doesn't normally deviate from the conventional. The story does have to have a HEA* for the characters, and the HEA almost always occurs in the traditional romantic sense. This genre is set in either the present or the past. In erotic romance, both the sexual and emotional aspects of the relationship are integral to the storyline and the relationship is typically monogamous and can be...

Flash fiction is a short form of storytelling defined by the number of words and/or sentences, which of course vary from writer to writer. In a nutshell, flash fiction is any writing material more than 50 words and less than 1,500 words—some flash fiction writers stretch the limit to 2,000 words. Note: Other names for flash fiction are micro fiction, pocket-size story, and minute-long story. Flash fiction has been around for many years—reportedly since the early 1990’s—but has become increasingly prevalent in the literary community over the last five to seven years. Once regarded as “lazy” work, flash fiction is now considered quite the opposite: intellectually challenging storytelling. So even though by definition the context of flash fiction is to remain extremely short, it is not a medium that tolerates fragmented writing. The challenge of flash fiction is to tell a complete story in which every word is absolutely essential. It stands to reason that in a society where peopl...