So you’ve finished the first draft of your story- Congratulations!! That is a very big deal. No matter what shape your story is in, I’m so proud of you! Getting those words down on a page and creating the start of your story is a huge accomplishment. Are you feeling excited? Proud? A bit exhausted […]
Each month I take a moment to pause and share a few things I’ve found to be helpful and fun along the journey as a busy writer. I hope you find them to be enlightening and encouraging! Article Roundup: Villains No story would be complete without its villain! In fact, the strength of a story’s […]
Sometimes we need to throw away our plans and forget our goals in order to dream. That hurt a bit even to write because I’m such a compulsive goal setter. I love having checklists and then crossing things off when I’m done. (Anyone else out there with me??) After all, goals are great! Goals are […]
There are a lot of good, great, and fabulous things we could be doing and sometimes it’s hard to decide just where to invest our time. We could be playing frisbee! Learning French! Cuddling puppies! Volunteering! Making new friends! It can be a slippery slope between being engaged and being exhausted. It’s tricky to know […]
Writers need encouragement. Creating stories, revising endlessly, balancing projects- writing can be a lot of work! And for most of us our writing is a side job, our personal time, a fun hobby in addition to life’s general craziness. Writing can be exhausting, discouraging, and sometimes thankless work where we’re not sure if what we’re […]
There’s something so exciting about writing a first draft. New things being created, new words being put down on the page, new character developments and ideas. In short, everything is new 🙂 That’s not to say the first draft isn’t without its own set of problems and trials! A huge amount of first drafts get […]
Each month I take a moment to pause and share a few things I’ve found to be helpful and fun along the journey as a busy writer. I hope you find them to be enlightening and encouraging! Article Roundup: Creating Conflict Conflict is what adds excitement and purpose to our stories and keeps readers engaged. […]
It’s time to get the creative juices flowing with some writing prompts! Whether you’re looking to brainstorm a new project, you need a break from your current writing, or you’re just looking for an excuse to have some fun, you’ve come to the right place. 🙂 A writing prompt can be anything that gives us […]
People may argue over whether “writer’s block” is a real thing, but there is no denying that writing can be hard work. While being a writer is often glamorized, glorified, and sought after, writing can also be a challenging, messy, and downright miserable business. As Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith is credited with saying, “You simply […]
Steps to Success is a series walking us through the process of writing a novel from beginning to end. As always, personal preferences and experiences differ. This guide is based in part on my own experiences as well as from authors I have worked with and/or learned from along the way. Today we’re talking about […]