I just finished this excerpt from my wip Legacy of Faith this afternoon. This is an imagined encounter based on a real life enmity between John Mackilligen, the Covenanter (illegal Presbyterian) and John Paterson, the Bishop of Ross. 1670: Ballachraggan, Ross, Scotland. John Paterson, the Bishop of Ross looked down his prominent nose, narrowing his heavy-lidded… Continue reading Critique Tuesday: John and his Enemy
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Writer Wednesday: How to clean up your dialogue
One of the biggest complaints my editors have had about my raw writing is the use of dialogue tags. Here are some of the tips they've given me for polishing it up. Use tags only when necessary. "He said"/"She said" is not needed as many times as you might think. Use it to establish your… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: How to clean up your dialogue
Monday Motivation: The Great Paralyzer
You know that big project you've got to tackle. Maybe it's a report, or a novel, or cleaning out your kids' toy room. We all have one. You think about it and your palms start to sweat and you feel an unaccountable desire to wash your dishes, file that stack of papers, or… Continue reading Monday Motivation: The Great Paralyzer
Friday Fact: The Family Compact
When the average settler, like William McKillican, arrived in Upper Canada in 1816 it may have been a trackless wilderness, but there was already a strict ruling oligarchy in place. They were known as the Family Compact - a group of Conservative British Anglicans who held a staunch hold over the young colony. If… Continue reading Friday Fact: The Family Compact
Writer Wednesday: Spice up your writing
There is nothing worse than reading a book and finding an overabundance of the same word. I don't just mean "and" and "the" here. For example, an otherwise decent author I've read uses the word "cloying" at least once in every book, sometimes more. (Please, if I ever do this, tell me.) Words are like… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: Spice up your writing
Tuesday Critique
Here's an excerpt from Slumber for anyone to read, enjoy, cut up as you see fit. 🙂 “Benjamin has come to speak with us about your betrothal,” Father said with a heavy sigh. “I hope you told him, as I did, that there is nothing to be done.” “We did,” Mother said. “But he will hear… Continue reading Tuesday Critique
Super Mario Kids’ Room
Not my usual kind of blog fare, but I thought I'd share what I've been busy doing while I haven't been blogging. Check out the fun room I painted for my 11 year old son this past week! When we shuffled rooms around before Christmas, poor Liam ended up in his little sister's Princess room.… Continue reading Super Mario Kids’ Room
Monday Motivation: How to take a 15 minute break in 1 minute
I picked up a helpful trick for increasing your productivity from Dr. Kathleen Nadeau that she calls "Green Breaks". It's a technique that allows you to take a quick refreshing break that doesn't interrupt the flow of your work. Here's how it works. Focus on something green The best is green scenery outside,… Continue reading Monday Motivation: How to take a 15 minute break in 1 minute
Friday Fact: 1816 – the Year without a Summer
1816 is a year of special significance to me, as the year my 4x great grandfather immigrated to Canada from Scotland. Like many of his fellow countrymen, he came across the ocean with little more than an axe with which he was expected to hew a farm out of a wilderness. As I write Legacy… Continue reading Friday Fact: 1816 – the Year without a Summer
Thursday Titles: Game of Thrones
If you've seen any of my reviews, you know I'm a bit behind the times. However, in case you haven't heard much about older titles, I decided I'd share anyway. After hearing hints of the acclaim this series of books and television was getting, I finally decided to start reading/viewing it. And now I'm hooked!… Continue reading Thursday Titles: Game of Thrones
Erin E. M. Hatton 