Writing: Messy First Drafts
Perfectionism has no place in the early stages of creativity. Mistakes are gold mines and should be treated as such, and first drafts are the best place to make those […]
Query Letters: Paperback Writer
I was listening to the radio the other day and a Beatles song called Paperback Writer came on. As I was listening to this song, a song I have heard […]
Writing: Creative ADD
I have had writers block. It sucks, but it’s not an everlasting thing. (Honestly, I think that’s the trick to beating it–seeing it as a finite, manageable event.) But for […]
Update: Looking back on 2008
Last December, I posted this list of goals: Sign a contract with an agent. Go to the gym three times a week. Sell a short story to a magazine. Complete […]
Writing: News and Newness
A friend of mine has recently decided to get serious about making the first steps on the path to publication. She’s previously dabbled in quite a few writing worlds, but […]
Writing: Sticking With It
Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential. Beyond the raw talent. You need the appropriate training. You need the discipline. You need the inspiration. You […]
Query Letters: What NOT to do
While reading Nathan Bransford’s latest blog, Things I don’t need to know in a query letter, I came across a comment. This comment held a query written by Ulysses (yeah, […]
Update: California, Mexico, and Rip Tides
Two weeks ago, I returned from a two week vacation. I had a fantastic time visiting with friends on the other side of the country for the first week (HI […]
Books: The YA Stigma
I grew up reading books that were well above my grade level and discovered the sci-fi/fantasy section of the bookstore pretty early on. Because of this, I never really picked […]
Writing: Randomocity
I found a new toy today. It’s a wonderful tool and a perfect example of how the internet (and technology in general) is both making our world an easier place […]
Revising: Striving for Perfection
Some days, I feel like falling asleep on my desk. Usually this happens right around the time I realize I need to do another edit of my book. And the […]
Update: Trees and Googlegängers
Sometime in the next couple of weeks (probably on April 30th), the tree in my backyard that has been a constant and obvious threat to my sanity will be removed! […]
Writing: Series Issues
I know that it’s been a while since I’ve had a post on writing, so I kind of feel like it’s overdue. Luckily, I ran across something in my own […]
Q&A: So, about “stealing”…
Recently, I received a question about one of my previous posts Stealing: How to do it the Right Way. I thought that this question was a perfect example of the […]
Dialogue: Writing Natural Conversations
In my previous article Inspiration: Mining the World for Ideas, I mentioned carrying a notebook at all times and recording interesting tidbits of dialogue for stories. In that article I […]