The other day I was on Twitter and saw someone tweet out something along the lines of, “YOUR STORY IDEA DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING,” and I about had a heart attack, because WHAT. I mean, of course ideas matter. In fact, I’m one of those authors that keep lists and lists of ideas, because I believe… Continue reading Your Story Ideas Aren’t Enough
Tag: get published
Why You Should Make Time To Write While Editing/Revising
I’m not going to lie. I’m basically writing this article because I failed at this, miserably, and I want to prevent others from making the same mistake. Once upon a time, I wrote a book. The moment I was inspired to write it, I knew it was more special than my other books. Not that… Continue reading Why You Should Make Time To Write While Editing/Revising
Setting 2018 Writing Goals
Now that we’re a week into 2018, you’ve probably set new goals and you’re already striving after them. And that’s awesome! But I made a huge mistake while setting goals last year, and I thought I’d discuss it, so you don’t make the same mistake I did when you tackle your writing life this year.… Continue reading Setting 2018 Writing Goals
2017’s Top Ten Articles
Every year, I like to look back and see what everyone was discussing. I try to collect the best discussions and revisit them, so here's a list of this year's most popular articles. Normally, I would’ve made this list based on a combination of unique views, comments, and shares, but I didn’t track that as… Continue reading 2017’s Top Ten Articles
2017 Wasn’t My Writing Year
Last year, I wrote an incredibly positive article called, Dear Writers, 2017 Can Be Your Year! It summed up my 2016 accomplishments and how I got there by taking advantage of every opportunity I could and working hard, and how you can, too. (Oh, how I side-eye myself so hard now.) This year? I failed most… Continue reading 2017 Wasn’t My Writing Year
Balancing Writing During the Holidays
Most writers aren't able to write full time. That means we tend to work full time and write full time. Between writing, querying, editing, and marketing, our schedules can quickly feel crushing, especially if you’re working toward a very specific goal, such as a revision deadline. Taking breaks can often make writers feel guilty. But… Continue reading Balancing Writing During the Holidays
How Writing Conferences Can Surprise You
Today, I am attending a writing conference. (In case you’re wondering, I’m at the Middle of the Map Conference in Overland Park, Kansas.) While prepping last night, I began thinking about how much I love conferences—and about how many writers are on the fence about attending them. I always tell writers to attend conferences if they… Continue reading How Writing Conferences Can Surprise You
The Ideal Writing Pace
Writing is a different experience for everyone. Just check out the #amwriting hashtag on Twitter and you will see authors hitting 50,000 words in two weeks…and in two years. So how long should it take to write your book? Stephen King claims to give up on a book if you can’t finish the first draft… Continue reading The Ideal Writing Pace
First or Third Person? Present or Past Tense? How Do You Decide?
So you're writing a book...but your book requires some decisions. Your narrative needs structure. And there are a million options to choose from. So how do you decide a perspective and a tense? What is the best combination for your book? Let me start out by saying that making the choice to write in first/third… Continue reading First or Third Person? Present or Past Tense? How Do You Decide?
Can Genres Die?
“Why are you writing a vampire/dystopian/princess novel? That won’t sell today! It’s been overdone. It’s dead.” If you’re a writer, you’ve probably participated in a conversation similar to the one above. Trends have a lot to do with the publishing industry. If you’re lucky enough to have something written and ready to go as the… Continue reading Can Genres Die?
