Category: Blog (Page 10 of 13)

My favorite fictional love stories (Part 1/???)

July 5, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

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I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on the story of Lancelot and Guinevere for my current WIP (no, it’s not a telling of their story… but my main protagonists are movie stars who met in a film about them), and it got me thinking about love stories. I’ve been reading and watching a lot of them lately, for inspiration, and it makes me realize that I REALLY like love stories (I am a romance writer, after all), so here it is. The first in my many part series: My favorite fictional love stories.

4 Tips for Surviving an Office

June 29, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

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From a creative type who has never worked in an office before

The Worst Parts of Starting a New Novel

June 21, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

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Carving Out a Plot – Okay so. Maybe it’s just me. I get a brilliant idea, and what I think is a great plot and then I sit down to actually plan, to actually write. And I slam into a brick wall. “Well, how is that going to work?” “How am I going to get to that part?” “Who the heck is going to actually want to read this?” I get stuck, and I can’t move.
Naming Characters – Yes, I have name generators. I USE them all the time. But have you ever struggled to find the PERFECT name? Name generators are great, but they are limited. What if they don’t hit the right mood for a character? Naming a character is like naming a child. The name is there, in print, forever. It’s a huge, scary decision! (Yes, I’m overdramatic.)
The semi-crippling anxiety of making something good – I’m a writer because I love to write. It’s my favorite thing to do, and I want nothing more than to do that all the time. But I want to put out a quality product because I want people to enjoy what I put out there. And so that’s what I worry about. Will people like this? Is this a pointless exercise? Am I any good?

Top 5 Tony Moments – 2016

June 16, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

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It’s no secret that I am a bit of a Broadway nerd (though “bit” might be an under-exaggeration). I’ve only seen a few shows this season (King Charles III, A View From the Bridge, School of Rock, Disaster!, and She Loves Me), but that didn’t make me any less excited for Sunday’s award show. It told me what cast recordings I need to buy, what shows I need tickets for (I GOT HAMILTON TICKETS FINALLY), and it’s just all around a fun time. I’ll be watching the clips on YouTube for weeks. So indulge me while I share my very favorite moments.

Trying new things

June 8, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

It’s been an insanely busy week, so I don’t have much time for a blog, BUT I am making an effort to try new things in my life. Today’s new thing was my first cake decorating class. Not perfect, but it was fun. I call it… weird cupcake chic.

Promote yourselves

June 1, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

Here’s a break from your regularly scheduled blogging for you… I don’t check into this site as much as I should, but with summer break on the horizon, I want to turn that around.

So what blogs should I follow? What blogs should I read? I love books, teaching, writing, pop culture, movies, Broadway, adulthood struggles… You name it.

Tell me what to check out. Comment here. Promote yourselves if you want to. Why should I check out your blog? I want to! Here’s me breaking out of my shell.

Keeping a diary

May 24, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

Did you ever write a diary?

I’ve been thinking about this today. I’m a history teacher, and my students today were examining diaries and accounts from westward pioneers. Did those people realize what it was they were leaving behind? That their words would be studied for hundreds of years? Or did they just do it as therapy?

I wrote in a diary a few times. In my youth, about once a year for about three or four years, I started a diary. I think the most entries I wrote was about five each time. Then I lost the habit. And my entries weren’t any good. No thoughts, no feelings. They were a simple list of every day. What did I do at school? Who did I hang out with?

They hardly leave anything behind. Except embarrassment. And they barely give me enough for that.

I wish that I had written more. I’d have loved that view into my life as a kid. But at the same time, maybe the mystery is a good thing.

Questions 2 and 3. And 4…

May 18, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

Okay, so I came here to write something real. But writer’s block (hooray! How am I going to start my new novel soon?). I’m watching The Martian (just finished the book, yes!) and drinking a glass of wine instead.

So instead, I’ll ask you, my followers, a question.

For you writers, what is your favorite genre to write?

For you readers, what is your favorite genre to read?

Are any of you book snobs? (I am.)

The stages of going to a book sale…

May 12, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

Pre-sale excitement. “I’m going to a book sale, I’m going to a book sale, I’M GOING TO A BOOK SALE!”
During-sale euphoria. “Books, books, BOOKS. Look at all the books!”
During-sale overwhelmed panic. “But which do I buy? Can I afford them all? They won’t all fit in my car!”
Checkout anxiety. “Am I sure I don’t want that Nora Roberts book? That Jackie Onassis biography looked so lonely…”
Post-sale regret. “I bought too many books. I didn’t buy enough books. I should go back.”
To-read list overwhelmed panic. “WHEN WILL I EVER READ ALL OF THIS?”
Joy. “Look at all my books.”

I’m going to a book sale tomorrow!

Getting to know you…

May 3, 2016 / elizabethdohertyauthor

So, rather than using this blog to whine about my life some more, I thought I might try to get to know my followers a little bit. I might do this every once in a while, post questions so I can hear from you. So let’s start:

If you could have starred in any TV show, past or present, what would it be?

Friends for me. Or 30 Rock. Or Parks and Rec. Or The West Wing. I don’t know.