After a frankly exhausting series of fiction workshops, I took the summer off and did more or less nothing. I needed it, and I'm glad I did it, although I do wish I had been more productive (but if I had, it wouldn't have been a break, so...) But now, in an attempt to get … Continue reading Flash Fiction in a Flash
The last few NaNoWriMos I've participated in, as well as all the manuscripts I've written to date, have been "pantser" novels. As in "fly by the seat of my pants" novels. As in, "sit down at the keyboard and hope something comes out" novels. Lucky for me, things have been coming out. Well, they had … Continue reading Outline Outline Who’s Got the Outline
After my writer's retreat in late spring, I pretty much stopped doing things. Well, creative things anyway. I stopped writing. Granted, I had just put that final polish on Hot Mess #1, now no longer a hot mess. Hot Mess #2 had its first read-through and has a rat's nest of a plot hole, and … Continue reading Writer’s Lincoln Log
I powered through and finished hot mess #1. I like it! I feel good about it! It's a book I would like to read, and would have adored and probably read over and over when I was in middle/high school. But now, in order to get other people to read it and hopefully make money … Continue reading The Thing About Query Letters
My fiancee and I joke that I need to "practice relaxing." Unfortunately, it's one of those jokes that's funny because it's true. I tend to cram every spare second with some kind of obligation. 90% of the time, they're stuff I want to do: professional networking, friends, family, personal goals like writing or running. I'm … Continue reading Writing and Relaxing
My family is a big believer in routines, as most humans are. My mom used to start every morning on the couch drinking a cup of hot tea and watching The Weather Channel. This was complimentary to my morning routine, which involved rolling out of bed at the last possible moment, so I regularly shouted, … Continue reading A Writer’s Routine
The day I discovered that I could run and listen to audiobooks at the same time was life changing. I subscribed to Audible that day. It's a little shameful, actually. My library's free app, Hoopla, got me started on audiobooks and I don't know why I made the switch from complimentary to an app that … Continue reading Reading the Genre
