Long before Marie Kondo made it to Netflix, I read her book. I feel like it was fate that I found her book and don’t even remember how I came across it. I’ve struggled with being messy because I get way too attached to objects and because I don’t have a place for everything. I […]
Usually I am a combination of a plotter and a pantser, but lean more towards pantsing. That’s because I usually find that my characters know where to go. All I have to do is watch them and write it down. The plotting stage can be incredibly fun, because this is when you decide all the […]
So you want to build your author platform but you haven’t published any books yet? Join the club! Please sign up with Gary, he’s the potted plant in the corner. We don’t have meetings, but we do complain a lot on Twitter. Except not for long. Because I have some tips to help you figure […]
I’m convinced deadlines are called DEADlines because they end up killing you. That said, they serve a purpose and without them, we’d probably procrastinate ourselves into some black hole of cat memes. While drifting aimlessly in oblivion does sound like a hoot, we won’t get to achieve our dreams by doing nothing. That doesn’t make […]
I am a mystery writer at heart. I love solving puzzles and murder is kind of my jam, even if it would totally freak me out in real life. It still took me a while to figure out if that’s the genre I want to write in. The kind of novels I usually read as […]
As both a teacher and a writer, I know very well that at some point into your editing you can get a little word blind. Even after two other people went over your manuscript, things can still be overlooked. Most writers I know get beta-readers to help them out with feedback. Whether that feedback is […]
When you first start looking for a literary agent, any one of them sounds exciting. And how could they not? They could potentially be the person who makes your dream come true, apart from yourself. You have options, though, so how do you know what to focus on when looking for an agent? Your Work […]
When starting a new novel there are different stages that a writer goes through before typing THE END. I’d like to refer to them as the various stages of delirium because that’s what it feels like to write a novel. But in a good way. This post may or may not include GIFs. (Hint: it […]
You are born with nothing but your body, so anything in addition to that is a gift, something to be thankful for. And anything you lose, isn’t really lost because it’s not really something that was yours to begin with. Sometimes it helps when I think of that and it does make me a more […]
Okay, so you’ve finished a book. You’ve poured sweat, blood, and a lot of coffee into it and it’s now marginally presentable. Great. Don’t slip into a temporary coma just yet! CELEBRATE your hard work, the victory over writer’s block, the battle with the muse. It may not be clear what your option are, or […]