stop waiting. start writing.
For those of you who are ready to look into the publishing stage of writing, indie publishing offers an opportunity you shouldn't overlook. Today I'm very pleased to share some advice from two indie author friends of mine, Savannah Jezowski and Tammy Lash. I asked them a series of questions about what the indie publishing process … Continue reading Inspiring Indies: Wisdom from Indie Pros
Folklore is a fascinating subject, twisting itself to fit the cultural mold of the time it’s in. From comics to holidays, folklore has served as the origin of our greatest stories. As each culture adds to the original legend, the myths become more robust with each passing century. Vampires, for example, have evolved many times … Continue reading Horror & Mythology
Have you ever heard a writer talk about her characters as if… they were real? Like, as if the writer were not entirely in control of her own work? It used to be my pet peeve to hear writers say “my main character told me _____,” or in more ludicrous scenarios, “my main character refused … Continue reading Do Your Characters Talk to You? Should They?
Feedback is critical for a writer. It's also tricky. Good feedback can help you unlock parts of your story and discover new possibilities, whereas bad feedback can set you back, send you down a wrong path, and even derail the necessary confidence. The dividing line between the two is often thin. So how do you navigate … Continue reading Take Critique Like A Pro
I’m not sure what I expected the writing life to be like. Sure, I had dreams about what it would be like to be a writer… the book tours, the conventions, the autograph sessions… but I don’t think I sat down and thought about what it would actually be like to be a writer. What … Continue reading A Work in Progress
Recently, I've been rereading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien and it has gotten me thinking a lot about adventures, why characters go on them, and how they get started. In the case of The Hobbit's Bilbo Baggins, his story begins when a wizard arrives on his doorstep, bringing thirteen dwarves with him, and informs Bilbo … Continue reading Unexpected Adventures of the Writing Life
"No thinking--that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is...to write, not to think!" --Finding Forrester (2000) If you haven't seen the film Finding Forrester, starring Sean Connery as a reclusive writer and Rob Brown as a gifted young man from inner city … Continue reading Get Out of the Way
This post is going to go into very real, very raw territory. But that is something that is needed when establishing community, and I think it’s something every writer faces: the idea of failure. I’m going to be completely honest: as a writer, I’ve failed A LOT. Even in the past six months, I entered … Continue reading Pep Talk Princess: Fighting With Failure
I sometimes wonder whether curiosity, rather than creativity, is the true hallmark of an artist. In my experience, writing isn't so much an act of creation as it is a journey of discovery. As I've grown as a writer, exploring and developing my craft, I feel less and less like I am creating something new … Continue reading The Creativity Question
“It’s a fact universally acknowledged that a writer in possession of a pen/typewriter/computer must be in want of a brainstorming partner.” – Jane Austen in 2018 It’s a common belief that writing is a solitary endeavour—you see that notion everywhere. It’s perhaps the reason why many of us writers blog; because we are lonely and … Continue reading Buddies + Brainstorming