Writing Advice From A YA Author Powered By Chocolate And Green Tea
Writing a book takes time. Even if you're a fast drafter and can put something together in a matter of weeks instead of months or years, working through the multiple drafts it takes to reach the final draft is still tough. You're so exhausted at the end, that the thought of starting again at a blank …
When you've been working on your manuscript for several years, you've read it more than a few times. In fact, you've probably read it so much you can quote whole paragraphs from it. It's a side effect of reading your words repeatedly, and the editing, rewriting, proofing—and let's just throw another edit in there because …
Continue reading Reading Your Book: Thoughts That Run Through Your Head
So, it happened. You gave your manuscript to someone to read, expecting accolades, messages of praise, or at the very least, confirmation the story and characters are good—and the feedback wasn't what you were expecting. In fact, it signaled that your MS is bad. Really. Bad. While this kind of feedback is enough to crush …
One thing I love about writing is the days when the words just flow. Every sentence you pen down comes out near perfect, first time. Every transition to the next paragraph is effortless, and the ideas and inspiration seem limitless. What started as a blank page is now pages upon pages of pure writing gold! …
There's so much to learn when writing a book, and even more to master when editing. Not only do you have to be proficient in structuring plots, invoking the five senses, adding tension, writing realistic dialogue, and showing instead of telling, you also need to know what words to delete and which darlings to revive. …
Some (rambling) thoughts about the MS I have out on submission. Let me know if you can relate... This is the draft where I saw everything that was wrong. This is the draft that broke me. This is the draft where I wanted to give up. This is the draft I learned from. This is …
No one likes rejection. When you’re a writer staring at a rejection letter, realizing how much one little word can hurt (and wondering why words have turned against you—you love them!), you’ll need something to make you feel better. I’ve been through some rejections—a whole year in fact. The first one stung. Others rolled off …
Writers are fascinating creatures. We’re most comfortable talking to imaginary people, traveling to imaginary lands, and creating stories out of nothing more than words. What we also love is to avoid doing those things at all costs. You love writing and want nothing more to spend your waking hours putting pen to paper? Sure! Right …
I recently joined Twitter, a social media I’d avoided because I didn’t need another thing feeding my procrastination habit. Upon joining, I found a wonderful world of fellow writers, agents who let you know what they’re looking for, publishers, and pitching competitions where agents come to you (provided they see your tweet). I also discovered …
Continue reading The Most Important Thing To Remember As A Writer
