Tag: Writing
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Where I Am Now: Restructuring Countess of Cons After Beta Reader Feedback
It’s been almost a month since I received all my beta readers’ feedback on Countess of Cons. You know that moment when you realize you weren’t as close to the finish line as you thought? Not exactly a surprise, but still… The gist: readers needed neck collars to recover from the whiplash caused by too…
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Polished-but-Dead: Editing With AI (It’s Complicated)
Remember that song, “Video Killed the Radio Star?” (If you don’t then I’m pretty pleased—that means younger people are reading my blog!!) Lately, while editing Countess of Cons with Scripty McPromptface in the room, that song has been looping in my head. Because the way MTV changed music in the 1980s—suddenly it wasn’t just the…
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Gemini Is an Ass: The AI Hallucination That Invented ‘The Wickedness of Catherine Seeley’
I was driving home the other day—minding my own business and trying not to launch my car over our condo’s speed bumps—when my sister Jeanne left me a text. (Siri read it to me—I follow the laws!) “Have you ever published your book, Countess of Cons, under another title?” My brain immediately went to worst-case…
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A Small New Thing: My Newsletter
I’m starting a newsletter. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I already share updates on my blogs, and I’m not exactly shy about posting when something is brewing. So why add a newsletter? Because the internet has become a scavenger hunt. Between social media algorithms, disappearing posts, and the general…
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When Your Editing Software Loves You… Then Tries to Ruin Your Life
Me vs. ProWritingAid This morning, I made a terrible mistake: I ran two ProWritingAid reports back-to-back. If you’ve never done this, imagine getting a standing ovation and a slap across the face in the same ten seconds. That’s the vibe. I started with the Virtual Beta Reader report for Countess of Cons, which basically sent…
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From Ancestry Message Board to Arson Files: Uncovering Catherine Seeley’s True Motive
NOTE: This post has also been cross-posted to my genealogy blog, https://whoweareandhowwegotthisway.com/ I didn’t set out to write about a con artist. I wasn’t even researching criminals. I was trying to get the facts straight about my husband’s great-grandmother, known in the family as Catherine C. Fitzallen. I was scrolling through an Ancestry message board,…
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Me and My AI: A Performance Review (Spoiler: I Passed)
I recently asked my AI assistant, ChatGPT—affectionately known as Scripty McPromptface—how it would describe my ability using it. Because if you’re going to collaborate with an artificial intelligence, you might as well ask for your annual evaluation. Scripty’s Report Card Apparently, I’m not too shabby. Scripty said I use it “like a seasoned collaborator, not…
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From Family Tree to Novel: The Real Lives Behind My Books
NOTE: I first shared this story over on my genealogy blog, but I wanted to post it here too for those who follow my adventures in writing! On Saturday, October 4, I had the pleasure of being a vendor at Family History Day, sponsored by the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. I always enjoy chatting with…
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Finding Catherine, Finding Connection
On the third day of our writing retreat in Ireland, Lynn Palermo asked us to reflect on the following questions: Think about the connections your story makes possible. What connections brought you to this story? Who are you hoping to connect with through your writing? How do you want that connection to shape the way…
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From Tara to Takeoff: One Last Irish Adventure
We said good-bye to Temple House today. What an amazing week we had. After I get home and get some rest, I’ll be sharing more. By the way, you might not have realized that the only rain we had ALL WEEK was a bit of drizzle during our first day in Dublin. But I guess…
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