Have you ever considered giving up on writing? I know I have. Though I’ve been writing stories as long as I can remember, I consider myself as having two true starts. 1) When I was eleven, my mom died unexpectedly, and I told myself that day I would spend my life pursuing my dreams, no… Continue reading The Truth About Giving Up on Writing
Category: Miscellaneous
2021: The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change
Every year, I take time to reflect on where I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going. Last year was deemed The Strangest Writing Year (Hopefully?), and this year, I’ve decided to call it The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change. (Though, that may be too dramatic in itself.) Onto why that is (and also… Continue reading 2021: The Year of Dramatic, Unfinished Change
My Favorite Books of 2021
Every year I blog about my favorite reads, though I admit that this year was hard! I went really out of my comfort zone and read a lot of age categories and genres, but particularly adult romance, including the famous Ice Planet Barbarians series. This was also just a busy year in general for me.… Continue reading My Favorite Books of 2021
An Ode to My Laptop
My trusted laptop since 2014 died the other week. I know that may not sound like a big deal, but for me, it was like letting go of an old friend. You see, writers spend an extraordinary amount of time on their computers. There are very few days in the year that I don’t use… Continue reading An Ode to My Laptop
Pitch Wars 2021 Wishlist!
Hello, Pitch Wars hopefuls! For a downloadable, plain-text PDF version of this post, click here. This year I am partnering up with the fabulous Sandra Proudman to mentor a middle grade science fiction or fantasy writer for Pitch Wars. We are Team Stellify. Stellify means to change or be changed into a star. It’s associated with myths… Continue reading Pitch Wars 2021 Wishlist!
How to Enjoy Reading as a Writer (And Complete Those Reading Goals)
It’s summertime, which means beach reads are among us. Not to mention the fact that we’re halfway through 2021. (Eek!) How far along are you on your reading goals? I aim to read 52 books a year. I’m definitely not there yet. But I know a lot of us take this time of the year… Continue reading How to Enjoy Reading as a Writer (And Complete Those Reading Goals)
What Happened When I Opened an Old Manuscript that I Hadn’t Read in Three Years
Three years ago, I shelved a manuscript that I loved dearly but had to set aside in order to work on another project gaining interest in the market. It wasn’t a hard decision. At the time, I had just finished its third rewrite and, though it had recently won a writing contest, my other piece… Continue reading What Happened When I Opened an Old Manuscript that I Hadn’t Read in Three Years
How to Name Your Characters
Naming your characters, especially your main characters, can feel like a daunting task. Some enjoy the thrill of it; others struggle a lot, and never quite feel like they found the “right” name. I, for one, love naming characters. I often joke that baby name books are some of my favorite reads and, in fact, I’ve… Continue reading How to Name Your Characters
Writing Crying Scenes
Crying is a common experience. “A study in the 1980s found that women cry an average of 5.3 times per month and men cry an average of 1.3 times per month. A newer study found that the average duration for a crying session was eight minutes.” (Heathline) Does this mean your characters should cry that much in your story? Probably… Continue reading Writing Crying Scenes
Using the Later App as an Author: A review
Later is a desktop and mobile phone app that allows you to schedule your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn posts. Here's my review on if this app will help, or hinder, you.
Shannon A. Thompson 