I'm in bed this morning, cradling a heating pad and trying to ignore my body. I've had a lot of musculoskeletal pains over the years, along with some other surprises as I've aged. As I lie here, accepting that I'm being forced to take some time off, I found myself pondering this body and why … Continue reading The Physicalness of Things
Tag: writer
The Big 10k Giveaway Winner and Other News
Deep breath. I can’t believe the time is finally here. I am not screaming this, it’s coming out in a calm elation, a wave of unexpected, joyous peace. Something you may not know about me - I love gift giving. I remember the first time I got a one hundred dollar bill, I think I … Continue reading The Big 10k Giveaway Winner and Other News
I Would, But I Can’t
I would say I’m going to get so much done tonight. I would say the words are going to flow freely. I would say my mind is teeming with ideas, and they are going to race to the page to see who can get used first. I would say it hasn’t been a long day. … Continue reading I Would, But I Can’t
Improve Your Craft
No, I'm not talking about the movie, The Craft, I’m talking about your writing, and I promise today isn’t a ramble. There's real advice in here, so saddle up and hang on. One thing you can do to improve your writing is lots of reading. Read inside of your genre, read outside of your genre … Continue reading Improve Your Craft
How Do I Write Like a Writer?
This, of course, is the million dollar question. How do I write? How do I write well? How do I write like a real writer? I am going to do my best to explain how to become a real writer over these next few paragraphs, though I am afraid it won't be exactly as you … Continue reading How Do I Write Like a Writer?
I Implore You
You guys are reading my random thoughts, so I’m going to keep putting them out there. Today I want to talk about perspective. Perspective is the difference between a smile and a frown, peace and anguish, indifference and anger; perspective is literally how we see the world. How is perspective built? Experience. Do you remember … Continue reading I Implore You
The Heart of the Matter
Why do we write? That is a very open ended question with answers that are unique to each individual. Some write to tell the story, some to evoke a response, some to pass the time, and of course, there is always the lingering thought, “One day I could be rich and famous.” But really, why … Continue reading The Heart of the Matter
I Want to Investigate You
I'M WORKING on how to go about helping other writers build an active, engaged Twitter following, and I have some ideas, but I need to test them out. You busy? That's fine—you don't have to do anything for now except raise your hand (which you can do with a comment here or with a reply … Continue reading I Want to Investigate You
Writing Community Readers
I WANT to take a moment to highlight the beta reading group I created in case you haven't heard of it. It's called Writing Community Readers and can be found on Twitter at @ReadersWriting. If you're planning on beta reading a manuscript, you and the author should take advantage of what this group offers--all you'll … Continue reading Writing Community Readers
Make an Agent’s Dream Come True
DO YOU know what today is? Today is the day all the literary agents return to their offices to sip coffee and catch up on their workload after an extended holiday vacation. Not all, of course. But the fluorescent lights are back on and inboxes are being browsed and agencies will be reopening to submissions. … Continue reading Make an Agent’s Dream Come True