Shannon Lawrence

Hi! I'm late posting this today, because work kicked my butt yesterday! I worked almost 13 hours straight, and my lovely husband made dinner and brought it to me while I worked. Anyway, it's IWSG time! The Insecure Writer's Support Group is a way for us to share our insecurities with each other, seek and gain support, and create a community. It was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh . Anyone can join; simply click on Alex's name and put your name on the linky list on the IWSG tab. The co-hosts this month are Nancy Gideon , Jennifer Lane , Jacqui Murray , and Natalie Aguirre . Please stop by and thank them for helping out today! The optional question this month is Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends a chill up your spine. Not so much a classic tale, but The Others is a really good, more contemporary ghost story that feels ageless. The twist was well done, and it's haunting in a diff

Hi, guys! I'm a presenter today for a two-part virtual program put on by Artists Standing Strong Together.  From 2 PM MT to 3:30 PM, there will be a discussion panel on writing ghost stories (this is specific to ghost stories, not all horror). Then from 5:30 PM MT to 7:00 PM, the panelists will be doing various readings and storytellings of ghost stories, so it's not solely an author reading. In fact, the author reading part is new to them, as this is usually an event done by oral storytellers.  Both events are completely free to attend! You can come for one or both. I got to meet all but one of my fellow storytellers in a virtual run-through last week, and this should be a fun event to get you in the mood for spooky season. If you've read Happy Ghoulidays II, you might be familiar with the Halloween story in that collection: The Pitter Patter of Tiny Feet . That's the story I'll be reading for the evening portion of this event. Here's a link to their website f

Today I welcome H.R. Sinclair! Her new book, Blood Stone,  is the first in the Lost Witch series, and releases September 22. I asked her to talk about switching between fiction and non-fiction for her visit. Switching From Fiction to Nonfiction I’m H. R. Sinclair, an urban fantasy author and artist living in New England. I also write nonfiction books including A Writer’s Guide to Color . Writing both fiction and nonfiction can be rewarding. They use different superpowers. One pulls from the creative side of you, allowing you to immerse into make-believe situations, the other charges up your analytical brain. A key difference is that, in fiction, the author holds back, drops clues, dangles red herrings. In non-fiction, the author writes everything down, right there, all together. To Shift to Non-Fiction, Leverage Your Skills  Use your storytelling skills to make those facts more interesting. Add narratives, descriptions, and use a clear structure.  Use your voice in non-fiction—seriou

Hello and Happy Wednesday! It's time for the next Insecure Writer's Support Group! That's right, it's time for the IWSG, a monthly blog hop created by Alex J. Cavanaugh where writers get together and share their insecurities. Anyone can join. Simply click on Alex's name and put your blog on the linky list. Or participate on the Facebook page . The co-hosts this month are Beth Camp , Jean Davis , Yvonne Ventresca , and PJ Colando . Be sure to hop by and thank them for hosting! The optional question this month is: Since it's back to school time, let's talk English class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer? I feel like a lot of the rigid grammar rules were things I had to let go of. Like not ending a sentence with a preposition. Not starting sentences with "and" or "but." Things like that. And I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of rules that I still wrestle with. I do believe in learning the &qu

Welcome to the first real post on my new website! I detail my issues with Square where they cost me hundreds of dollars at the end, because it's long. It's an important read if you deal with--or plan to deal with--Square. It's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. The IWSG occurs the first Wednesday of each month. Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh , the IWSG allows writers to give and get support about their various writing insecurities. Anyone can join. Simply click on Alex's name and sign up. This month's co-hosts are: Feather Stone , Kim Lajevardi , Diedre Knight , C. Lee McKenzie , and Sarah Foster . This month's optional question is: Do you use AI in your writing, and if so, how? Do you use it for your posts? Incorporate it into your stories? Use it for research? Audio? My answer to all of the questions above is no. Just no. I have no interest in using AI to usurp my own creativity. I have some news this month! If you've been around here (well, T

Hi! I'm working on transitioning over to this webpage. Eventually, www.thewarriormuse.com will point here, too. In the meantime, look around let me know what you think of the new webpage! My current/old one is here . My temporary bookstore, where you can order signed copies, is here . (Please let me know by using the contact form if you have any issues!) What else would you like to see on this new site? What do you think? Is this one more me? As ever, May you find your Muse.