My last published novel - Bad Bloods: July Lightning - released on July 24, 2017. Five years ago. That fact can feel pretty staggering some days. Obviously, more so when the anniversary comes up than other times of the year. But alas, here we are, standing at a time of reflection. Back in 2017, I… Continue reading What It’s Like Going Unpublished for Five Years
Tag: writing goals
When Are You Ready to Query?
Writers who want to publish with the Big Five need literary agents. To get a literary agent, one must query. To do that, you need your entire publishing package ready. That includes your formatted manuscript, query letter, and 1-page synopsis. Let’s say you have all three of these items right in front of you. How… Continue reading When Are You Ready to Query?
February Writing Journey Wrap-Up
Every month, I write a writing journey wrap-up post. It includes how many words I’ve written, what I’m working on, my wins, my losses, and other miscellaneous facts you may find interesting. First up this February, I wanted to congratulate our Pitch Wars 2020 mentee, Miranda Sun! She announced her six-figure, two-book deal with HarperCollins… Continue reading February Writing Journey Wrap-Up
January Writing Journey Wrap-Up
Every month I write about everything I did to chase my writing dream. These were my wins this past January.
Make This Your #1 Writing Goal in 2022
Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2022? I know I sure can’t. This year, I will have my ten-year blogging anniversary in September. That fact alone gives me a lot of reasons to reflect. But enough about reflecting. What about taking action? Setting goals can be a tricky business. How many should you set?… Continue reading Make This Your #1 Writing Goal in 2022
Writing the Cliffhanger
Love them or hate them, cliffhangers are popular and utilized in lots of books nowadays, even the ones that never get (or intend) a sequel to follow up the ending. So what’s the difference between a cliffhanger that makes a reader pick up the next book and the one that makes the reader chuck the… Continue reading Writing the Cliffhanger
What Writers Can Learn from Reading Their OLD Work
I’ve been writing stories ever since I learned how to write. I’m not kidding. My first pieces of work go back to when I was 4 years old. My first story was a 5-page rambling piece about my new husky throwing a party so that the two older dogs would attend and possibly befriend him.… Continue reading What Writers Can Learn from Reading Their OLD Work
Inundated with Writing Advice
There comes a point in every writer’s career that they seek out feedback and advice from others. Whether that be critique partners, beta readers, or studying craft books, writers are often doing their best to continuously hone their skills. And while that is commendable, there comes a point where a writer can feel overwhelmed by the… Continue reading Inundated with Writing Advice
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)
When You Don’t Write As Much As You Should
Recently, I didn’t write as much as I should have over a few weeks. Or should I say, I didn’t write as much as I thought I should have. Let me break it down. Every first of the month, I take a moment to look at my stats and see how much I've written. In March, I wrote… Continue reading When You Don’t Write As Much As You Should
