All the lists of Christmas gifts for writers are good at highlighting unique and fun (and sometimes useless) gift ideas. But the truth is: writers are easy to buy for. Just wrap up a bunch of books. Almost any book will do, but if you’re wanting to get specific (for yourself or a writer on […]
November 23, 2020 by 116 Comments Podcast7 Steps to Stop Overthinking Your Writing
It’s a question I’ve received countless times from readers over the years—and one I’ve found myself asking of late as well: How do you stop overthinking your writing? Writers are often known as thinkers. Indeed, we’re often proud of the connotation. We spend a lot of time in our heads. We love to read. We […]
November 9, 2020 by 106 Comments PodcastAre You Growing as a Writer? (Here’s the Only Way to Tell)
Do you want to grow as a writer? I know you do, simply because you are a writer. I know because you are here reading this post, either because you subscribe to this blog and others like it as a way to mainline writing knowledge on a regular basis, or because you stumbled onto this post […]
September 7, 2020 by 70 Comments Marketing Your Novel15 Steps to Self-Publish Your Book
What are the steps to self-publish your book? The modern boom of independent publishing has put the power to publish in the hands of authors—if they choose to use it. But even once you’ve decided in favor of the indie route over the traditional path of soliciting agents and pitching to publishing-house gatekeepers, what are […]
August 24, 2020 by 46 Comments PodcastAfraid to Let Anyone Read Your Writing? 5 Steps to Move Past Fears
One of the best things about writing is being read. Unfortunately, that can also be one of the scariest things. When you’re just starting out, it can feel like a huge jump to let someone else read your story for the first time. It feels like another jump to move past the eyes of kindly […]
August 17, 2020 by 43 Comments How to Become a Writer5 Exercises for Honing Your Story Instincts
How strong are your story instincts? This abstract and sometimes elusive concept rests at the very bottom of a writer’s toolkit. Your story instincts determine how successful your storytelling is, and whether you are able to offer readers the all-important “it” factor. Your story instincts are the foundation onto which you build with all the […]
August 3, 2020 by 87 Comments Writing Life5 Ways to Help Writers During the Pandemic (+Giveaways to Get You Started)
Writers are no strangers to uncertain times. Living in a constant state of creation means living with at least one foot in chaos all the time. More than that, trying to earn a living or even just enough to give us a few spare hours to keep writing, is tricky even in the best of […]
July 27, 2020 by 76 Comments Podcast7 Misconceptions About Being a Writer
Like any good story, the writing life is a tale of deceptive depth. At first glance, it offers up a shiny, artsy, fun cover. Become a Writer! its title beckons, and its first chapters lure us in by fulfilling all these initial promises. But the deeper we get, the further we go, the more we realize […]
July 6, 2020 by 77 Comments Writing InspirationHow to Get Stuff Done as a Writer (or How This INTJ Leverages Her Te)
Most days as a writer, I wake up excited to tackle everything on my to-do list. My big plans always include ROCKING my daily writing session. I’m always like, “Today is the day I’m going to write 5,000 words in one sitting! Rawr!” Then writing time rolls around. And… I’m still futzing around the house, […]
June 29, 2020 by 126 Comments Writing LifeThe 3 Acts of a Writer’s Life–Or How Your Age Affects Your Writing
I’ve been writing consistently since I was twelve, which means I’ve now been writing for the (amazingly long very short?) period of twenty-two years. In that time, almost as much about my writing has changed as has remained the same. This is something I’ve been casually pondering for a while now. Then, last week, I […]
