Raise your hand if you've been having trouble concentrating this last week. With Coronavirus sweeping the world, it's been hard to think about anything other than keeping your #SocialDistance and what you will do now it's impossible to find toilet paper. If you're lucky enough to be able to work from home, you're also facing …
Continue reading How To Stay Creative When The World Is On Fire
It takes a lot of effort to put together a book, whether you're working as a team with a publisher, or going the indie route and doing it yourself. There are final edits to do/check, book covers to organize/approve of, and print and ebook files to wrangle together. By the time your book is ready …
Continue reading 7 Author Essentials To Get In Place Before Releasing A Book
I don't know how it was for you, but for me, 2019 went by in a blink. As is the tradition of the last few years, this week's blog is a roundup of some of your favorite posts, my favorite posts, and other writerly/life lessons discovered throughout the year. Blog Posts Your Favorite Blog Posts …
Writing is one of those activities where, no matter if you do it full time or crammed into lunch breaks, there's a never-ending to-do list attached. You've got to fill in plot holes, plan character arcs, script whole conversations, research how to poison people without drawing the attention of authorities, and then find the time …
Continue reading A Non-Overwhelming Writing Routine To Gain Control Of Your Endless To-Do List
Not content with writing just one book, some writers tackle a series. I did this for the first manuscript I decided to write seriously (either bravely or stupidly, I still haven't decided), and one thing I learned was that it pays to have a series bible. A series bible is a document made up of …
Continue reading Series Bible: What To Include And Why Writers Should Have One
Another year has passed, and as was the tradition of last year, my final blog for 2018 will roundup of some of your favorite posts, my favorite posts, and other writerly things I discovered throughout the year. Your Favorite Blog Posts Based on the stats in WordPress, these were the top five posts based on …
As the year comes to a close and December flies by faster than Santa’s sleigh, most of us do one of two things; rush to cram in everything before taking a break, or, do nothing because it’s easier to relax into a candy cane coma than finish plotting chapter twelve. There’s nothing wrong with slowing …
There’s a reason it’s a good idea to not show anyone early drafts, and that’s because it’s usually full of writing that should be cut. And these cuts aren’t darlings—writing that’s good but doesn’t fit with the story—they’re the parts of your MS that will make it stronger once you’ve removed them. They are the weak …
Continue reading 8 Early Draft Cuts For A Stronger Manuscript
As mentioned in last week’s blog post, I’ve spent most of this year in editing hell, working through an MS that has been through re-writes, new beta readers, and a total show, don’t tell overhaul. As my edits for that MS wound down, I returned to the next MS in the series (book two), which …
