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One of Those Days
Today I need to write. I need to write at least 500 words on my current novel if I want to keep my momentum going. I need to write about writing for this blog and for my newsletters. I need to write the lesson plans for the next course I want to offer. So, I set aside...
Can’t I Do It Myself?
When I was a kid, my favorite phrase was By Myself. I wanted to be independent. I wanted to be self-sufficient. I wanted to be left alone to do my own thing. In some ways, I haven’t really changed. In many ways, I still prefer to do things on my own...
New Year, New Goals!
It’s that time of year again. That time when we evaluate where we want our lives to go in this shiny new year. I won’t lie. Last year all of my goals revolved around my health. I had my final chemo treatment in January of 2022, and I was still facing 3 surgeries and 6...
Stop submitting manuscripts with main characters that are the wrong age.
Nothing says you don’t know the children’s market like querying a YA novel with a six year old protagonist or a fifteen year old middle grade. When I read a query or submission that says something like this, I immediately know that the author is either new to...
Chunking Up Your Book
A pretty standard part of setting big, long-term goals is to chunk it up into a bunch of smaller goals. And what is writing a book if not setting a big, long-term goal? So, let’s chunk a book up into a bunch of smaller easier goals. First, set the major goal:...
Whose genre is it anyway?
I’m into watching TikTok right now. I know. I know. I’m too old. And for a lot of the stuff over there, I really am too old. I’m never going to be doing any fancy pants dances. My days of kicking up my heels passed when I hung up my pompoms. But one of the...
What’s Motivating Your Characters?
When we talk about characters, we always talk about their internal wants/needs as if the two are interchangeable concepts. We say that a character must have one to sustain their inner plot arc and that meeting this want or need is what propels the character to grow....
What to Expect When Working With an Editor
I read a tweet yesterday where I realized that not everyone entirely understands the purpose (or job) of an editor. Let’s discuss.
Writing Through Cycles
For the past decade, I have struggled with all sorts of health issues. Disparate things like a buildup of neurotoxins during a mold exposure to a hormonal imbalance most likely caused by stress (and age) mean that I often have periods (sometimes extended ones) where I can’t get much done.
The 2018 Writing Olympics
Sadly, the 2018 Winter Olympics have ended—and some how I managed to not see a single moment. Not the historic triple axel or the Norwegian Curling team’s pants during play. Nothing. But just because Olympic glory is over for the athletes, doesn’t mean it has to be...
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