In 2006, I was juggling five courses and three jobs to pay for college when I first heard about a program called “NaNoWriMo.” Intrigued, I visited the website and read through the rules of the 30-day challenge to write 50,000 words. Could I really do that? With everything else on my plate, could I finishContinueContinue reading “The Enduring Spirit of NaNoWriMo”
Tag Archives: writing
The Art of Writing FAST Part II
In a previous article, I discussed the benefits of Fast Writing (both what it is and why it’s awesome sauce!) Now, I’d like to share the “how” behind this technique…
Spunk & Bite (A craft novel review)
Most writers are probably familiar with the classic book on writing craft “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White (also called “Strunk and White”). Written by a Cornell University English professor, this book has been a staple in the writing community. Originally published in 1920 (self-published in 1918), this book is in its 4thContinueContinue reading “Spunk & Bite (A craft novel review)”
Thomas Dabney Mabry, Jr Creative Writing Award Winner!!
I ranked #1 in the inaugural Thomas Dabney Mabry, Jr Creative Writing Award for an excerpt from my unpublished novel “Overshadow.” It was an incredible honor to receive this award at the 19th Clarksville Writers Conference.
Rejecto-Acceptometer
(Approx 4 minute read) Who else nerds out as bad as I do with querying? I developed a system using Excel to track agents I’ve queried and their responses over the past year to see my progress (by the way, getting rejections is progress and before you argue your point about how that cannot possiblyContinueContinue reading “Rejecto-Acceptometer”
Pages, Players, and Perspectives
When you set out to write a book (or short story), do you try to imagine the audience? If writing is simply a creative outlet for you and you don’t have plans for publishing, then this post may not be for you. But if you do have dreams of seeing your name in print (beContinueContinue reading “Pages, Players, and Perspectives”
Find Your Community
We don’t exist in a bubble. And no matter how introverted you are, if you have the dream of “someday” getting published, you need people. Good people. Positive-feedback givers, real-life story swappers, and, most important, cheerleaders. I’ll be the first to say it’s really hard to find these groups, but not impossible. I wrote anContinueContinue reading “Find Your Community”
Troubleshooting Your Novel: A Craft Book Review
Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com The Writer’s Digest Book “Troubleshooting Your Novel” by Steven James provides lists upon lists of questions to ask when revising your book. I love lists. I’m a list person all the way. Groceries, To-Do’s, How-To’s, and of course, both the outlining and editing process have their respective checklists. I’dContinueContinue reading “Troubleshooting Your Novel: A Craft Book Review”
Passive voice isn’t the evil you were taught to avoid!
For those who suffered at the hands of passive voice critics, read on for a breath of fresh air… THANK YOU, Tobias Buckell, for giving the infamous “to be” variations a little breather. This short post is a quick review of an article I recently read in the July/August 2022 Writer’s Digest magazine, titled “TheContinueContinue reading “Passive voice isn’t the evil you were taught to avoid!”
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” (Lewis Carroll)
Reading and writing have always been my first loves. I haven’t stopped reading since I learned how (many moons ago…don’t ask) and I’m pretty sure I’m a book-a-holic. I’ve been telling stories since I could talk and have worked hard at improving my craft. Though I have a 9-to-5 type day job, I absolutely loveContinueContinue reading ““Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” (Lewis Carroll)”