Happy Halloween! As I write this post, two of my kids sit in the living room hunched over piles of candy like dragons hoarding treasure. I suppose it was hard-earned--it's 34 degrees outside and pouring rain and sleet. The third kid should be home from his party soon, and then the candy exchange will begin … Continue reading Writing Updates Plus Giveaways
novel
What I Learned From My First NaNoWriMo
Hear that whooshing sound? Kind of like an Amtrak train speeding through the countryside? That was the month of November hurtling past in a blaze of turkey and pumpkin pie-filled glory. November was also a month full of words--a little over 50,000, to be more precise--because wonder of wonders, I not only survived my first … Continue reading What I Learned From My First NaNoWriMo
To NaNo or Not to NaNo? That Is the Question.
If you've been in the writing world longer than a millisecond, you've probably heard of NaNoWriMo. For those of you who are readers and not writers, it's short for National Novel Writing Month. Essentially the goal is to write a short novel (50,000 words) in the month of November. That breaks down to writing about … Continue reading To NaNo or Not to NaNo? That Is the Question.
9 Ways to Find Brilliant Story Ideas
Okay, true story. Tonight while I was sitting down to edit a short story, two weeks snuck up behind me and hit me in the back of the head. Ack, how could it be time for a new blog post again already? So, I'm kind of cheating. Here's an expanded version of a post I … Continue reading 9 Ways to Find Brilliant Story Ideas
Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Tips for Querying Literary Agents
One of the things I love about this blog is being able to share with you what I'm learning on my writing journey. Lately, I've been spending a lot of time reading up on how to query literary agents. As you might guess, thanks to my BFF Google, there's plenty to find on this topic. … Continue reading Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Tips for Querying Literary Agents
The Hows and Whys of Critique Partners and Beta Readers
One of the things I love about this blog is being able to share things I'm learning and hopefully help other writers. Today I want to talk about two things that mystified me as a new writer--critique partners and beta readers. It's exhilarating to finish that first draft and type "The End." Then you let … Continue reading The Hows and Whys of Critique Partners and Beta Readers
How to Create a Killer Novel Aesthetic
Hello, friends! If you're a writer who hangs around on social media, no doubt you've heard the term novel aesthetic bandied about by other writers. When I first started on Twitter, I'd see hashtag games asking writers to share an aesthetic, and then a whole string of tweets full of gorgeous pictures. But what is … Continue reading How to Create a Killer Novel Aesthetic
Prologue Pros and Cons: A Guest Post by Meghan Tomlinson
Merry Christmas, dear readers and writers! It's hard to believe, but we're almost to 2018. For my last post of 2017, I'm delighted to share with you a guest post written by Meghan Tomlinson, a fellow writer I met on Twitter earlier this year. Meghan writes NA Fantasy and will hopefully be sending her debut … Continue reading Prologue Pros and Cons: A Guest Post by Meghan Tomlinson
Novel Writing 101: The Finish Line – Now What?
We've come a long way together, friends! Today is our last post for Novel Writing 101, my blog series on how to pre-plan and write the first draft of your novel. If you're anything like me, you're probably not actually done your first draft yet (or, ahem, even close...), but I wanted to wrap up … Continue reading Novel Writing 101: The Finish Line – Now What?
Novel Writing 101: Keeping it Real – Writing When It’s Hard
There's an old adage we writers love to toss around--"You can't edit a blank page." The idea, of course, is that if you want to have something to shape into a book, you have to sit down and write it first. Last week we talked about 5 tips for getting that first draft written; today … Continue reading Novel Writing 101: Keeping it Real – Writing When It’s Hard
