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Taking a break from writing to write more

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Wake up! Time to Query.

Pre-dawn is my time. I wake up at 4:30 a.m., french press my coffee, feed the animals, get a tall glass of water, sometimes enjoy a mandarin orange, and then do something productive. In 2018 that productive thing was go to the gym for an hour and run five miles. In 2019, that productive thing … Continue reading Wake up! Time to Query. →

SarahHillDarrow Querying the novel Leave a comment January 7, 2020 1 Minute

Query Rejections

The eternally-wise "they" say that you get rejected 99 times before you get a buy in on your novel or submitted piece of work. But even knowing this intellectually, getting a pass on a manuscript still sucks. For me, the first couple were a particular drag. It's like getting dumped after the first date. On … Continue reading Query Rejections →

SarahHillDarrow Publishing the Novel Leave a comment September 30, 2019 1 Minute

Fantasy vs. Contemporary

After spending a few years playing around with the idea of writing fantasy (and then writing several fantasy manuscripts that I wound up shelving) I decided to go all in with contemporary YA. I knew by the first outline that I was a stronger writer in contemporary YA, I'm going to credit (blame?) my first … Continue reading Fantasy vs. Contemporary →

SarahHillDarrow Writing the novel Leave a comment September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 2 Minutes

Outline Outline Who’s Got the Outline

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 →

SarahHillDarrow Writing the novel Leave a comment July 30, 2018July 30, 2018 1 Minute

Writing and Relaxing

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 →

SarahHillDarrow Writing the novel Leave a comment May 23, 2018 1 Minute

A Writer’s Routine

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 →

SarahHillDarrow Writing the novel Leave a comment May 15, 2018May 15, 2018 1 Minute

Reading the Genre

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 →

SarahHillDarrow Status Update Leave a comment May 4, 2018May 4, 2018 2 Minutes

A Tale of Two Vacations

This weekend, I planned, booked, and paid for two weeks away from my house. I am very fortunate to have an employer with very generous leave policies and I don't gain anything from not taking allotted time off, so I'm resolved to use all of it this year. The first trip is my elopement/honeymoon. My … Continue reading A Tale of Two Vacations →

SarahHillDarrow Writing the novel Leave a comment January 30, 2018 1 Minute

Level 3 Writer, Level 34 Human

I've been struggling lately with my manuscript, Hot Mess #1. I made a bit of a breakthrough last night, but I didn't do anything in December and January has been a slow start. My laundry list of excuses includes: Several instances of snow, which somehow made it impossible to write. Illness, where I spent several … Continue reading Level 3 Writer, Level 34 Human →

SarahHillDarrow Writing the novel Leave a comment January 25, 2018 1 Minute

Jean Ferris Is Dead

When I was a teen, I had a habit of getting books I loved, reading them, then leaving them all over the house so I could pick them up and read them at all times. My mother loved finding paperbacks strewn across the kitchen table, between couch cushions, even by the toilet. There was a … Continue reading Jean Ferris Is Dead →

SarahHillDarrow Writing the novel Leave a comment January 22, 2018 3 Minutes
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