By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Welcome to Part II of SOS - Settings on Steroids. A character who lives in the setting will not make the same observations as a visitor. A seasoned character's emtions are different from a novice in a specific environment. The seven universal emotions, according to Tonya…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Today is October 18, National Chocolate Cupcake Day. Is your mouth watering? Before you grab your car keys and speed off to the nearest bakery, I want to talk about how we writers can market and promote like the creators of this tasty-treat day. Writers want…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Ah, setting, the frail stepchild of fiction. How often we neglect this vital member of story, insisting character, plot, dialogue, and emotion are much more important. We dress her in rags, have her clean the chimney, then criticize her for lack of beauty. Setting is the…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Last week I finished a book and sent it to my publisher. Celebration time! Relief and satisfaction soared through me for completing the writing project. As always it was difficult from the time I researched my story idea until the editing stage. Editing is as much…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A writer writes. A writer edits. A writer submits for publication. A writer is rejected. A writer ? How do you handle rejection? Do you crawl under your desk and quit? Or do you view the news as an opportunity to rework the writing project and…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Social media is about helping our readers walk through life a little easier. Those we help come in all shapes and sizes and occupations, but what is important is that our message is clear and fulfills and need. Writers are problem solvers. Many blogs and webinars…