Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

I have two exciting newses today.  First, WRiTE Club 2012, hosted by D.L. Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0,  is starting up soon with some exciting changes - it promises to be even more fun than last time.  Be sure to visit the WRiTE Club 2012 page to sign up & get all the details.  Second - The ever clever M. Pax is on fire and has just released the sequel to The Backworlds! Craze and his friends continue their adventures in Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge . See what role chocolate plays in the galaxy this time. If you haven’t read The Backworlds yet, it’s available as a free read from many outlets. See HERE for links.   The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned th...

What are the top three things you'd do more of if time and money were no object?  For me the answers are easy:  Immerse in my favorite pretty places Spend more time writing Exercise more hours in a day & eat healthier A few weeks ago I dreamed up this idea of a Writer's Retreat. Not a thing where we attend a bunch of seminars that may or may not be helpful, but an inspiring place to go where we are given the blessing of time to do the things we want to do. Here's how I see it working.  First, we go some place serene and beyond beautiful.  Let's say...Sedona, Arizona.  Then we follow a daily schedule something like: 7:30am: Gather for a 60 minute Cardio Workout 8:30am: Healthy breakfast that someone else prepares for us 9am - 6pm Free time to schedule as you wish, including: Up to 6 hours of writing time 60 minutes with personal trainer At least 30 minutes walking Eat healthy sack lunch provided at breakfast Please bath...

In case you didn't get the memo, since tomorrow is the 4th of July and therefore we Americans will be busy eating weenies and exploding things, Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group will be held today through Thursday. This month I'd like to talk about character profiles.  I don't do them.  So whenever I read some great tip on creating a character profile or about the in-depth "off screen" backgrounds many writers dream up for their characters before they even begin writing their novel, I get a little insecure. Like, maybe my characters are shallow because I haven't ever thought about what their favorite color is or decided under which astrological sign they've been born. But the thing is...I know my characters aren't shallow.  One of the most consistent compliments I get on my writing is how real feeling and multidimensional my characters are, even the ones on the sidelines.  So I think the deal is that I just have a different pr...