Writing and publishing children's books is an art form. Unlock your creativity with this guide for how to get started writing a children's book. Discover tips on thesis statements, subject matter, and outlining to captivate young readers.
Read moreI've only gotten rejections. Should I give up?
I get the question regularly: How many rejections is too many? When do I stop submitting the story I wrote — or give up on writing entirely?
Let’s talk about why rejections are actually good, how to reframe them, and why you should hold onto any scrap of constructive feedback.
Read moreAnyone can be a creative writer (it's proven)
Creative writing can be about anything! Yay! Huzzah!
This is not a blog post about focusing your plot. This is a blog post about freedom.
Phew. A lofty statement, that one, am I right? But here’s the deal: So many of us (like, sooo many) sit down to write and are stricken by the belief that it must look a certain way. But it doesn’t!
Read moreDo I need an author website?
Wherever you are in your path to publication, at some point, you’ll wonder if creating an author website is a necessity.
TL;DR Sure, why not? :) Let’s talk about what to include on a writing website.
Read moreDo I *really* need an editor?
The truth is that as writers, we cannot see the forest for the trees. Like, cannot. I’ve been writing stories and submitting manuscripts for more than a decade, as well as editing some incredible books myself, and let me tell you: I needed a creative writing editor.
Read moreThe unfiltered truth about hustling
The struggle of working off one’s ass (as well as not ending in a preposition) with the sole purpose of more, more, more is, frankly, ugly to me. It didn’t used to be, but now, I’m not impressed by my past self. She seems easily influenced by what she thinks she should be doing instead of what she wants to be doing.
Read moreHow to write a novel
A fellow writer doing the hard work of slogging away to fill in the blank page emailed me a question that gave me pause: how in the world does one write an entire book?
This one had me scratching my head: How do we fill a novel? How do we sustain a story across hundreds of pages and thousands of words? My goodness, it looks like Mount Everest. But I have some ideas to share.
Read moreWhat I learned about writing from cooking
For a variety of reasons, 2018 was not a strong year of writing for me. But I never stopped cooking.
Read moreWhen you accidentally become your character
Popping in after nine months away to make two confessions about my writing life.
And P.S., can you still call it a writing life if you haven’t done much writing? Asking for a friend.
Read moreThe anti-ick guide to building your brand as a writer
What I really, really want this year is admittedly huge and will have the longest-lasting impact on my writing life: I want to define my writing brand and orient my work toward that end.
Before you ick out over the word "brand" when it's applied to a creative craft, let me share how I'm defining this: I want to figure out who I am as a writer, what my voice sounds like, the type of stories I want to tell, the messages I want to impart. Phew, that's a big one. But I think it's time.
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