Writing Novels: An Adventure in Creativity and Discovery

Hi, I’m Patty

Writing novels is an exhilarating journey filled with thrills and obstacles. As Ernest Hemingway wisely observed, “We are all apprentices in a craft; no one ever masters it.” This sentiment resonates deeply with us. We continue to learn new skills as we delve into the depths of storytelling.

The beauty of creative writing lies in its endless complexity. There’s always something new to discover. We embrace the idea that we may never fully grasp all the techniques and subtleties this art form offers. Each word we write is another step in our lifelong learning adventure!

John I had a unique idea for a science fiction story, so I began writing novels. We gave an early draft to one daughter, who said, “It stinks.” The other was a little more helpful she crossed out about half of it.

John, I realized I needed to learn a lot more about writing novels. We purchased books and went to seminars. We found the Internet has an enormous amount of information.

Patty I dove headfirst into the world of editing, immersing myself in the craft. As I read countless best-selling novels, I became a detective of sorts, pinpointing the clever tactics employed by masterful writers. Inspired, I filled a notebook with a treasure trove of writing techniques and insights. Most of the ideas and articles you’ll find on this website spring from the pages of that notebook.

We discovered tools and lists made an enormous difference in our creative writing. So, we will be sharing those with you. Check out Ask, 78 Words to Use Instead. And Words Never to Use to Replace Said plus 240 Words to Use. These are just the first two of the many lists we plan to share on this website.

The internet is overflowing with free information. For a list of 36 websites for writers see: 36 Free Writing Tools. and 41 More Free Tools for Writers

John, We embarked on an incredible journey through various writers’ conferences, immersing ourselves in the world of storytelling. A single novel grew into a captivating four-book series called The Light Masters. Each installment shines brightly with adventure and intrigue.

I know they are not ready to publish. We are still revising. They don’t have to be perfect, but I want them to be great. Joining critique groups has made a monumental difference.

We finally concluded we needed a platform to launch our books from.

Patty We believe that launching our novels from this platform will help us achieve our goal. We named it “Writing a Great Book” to honor John’s aspiration. He wants to craft a truly exceptional story—not merely a good one.

John The Light Masters is a speculative fiction series about the creation of the Milky Way galaxy. The sector of space the Light Masters plan to colonize is filled with a strange race. The story is about the collision of these two very different civilizations. The Light Masters are human, and the Energy People are ghost-like. They must learn to share the same space as the Light Masters and build a new galaxy.

Patty, We have learned so much about writing novels. Sharing what we have learned is a new adventure. We hope the articles, lists, and tools will be as helpful to other writers as they have been to us.