I have been S-T-U-C-K in my manuscript the past few weeks. As context, I started doing the pre-work for this manuscript before the holidays and started drafting in mid-February. The last month or two, I’ve been so close to the end of this initial draft and yet the actual end started feeling farther and fartherContinue reading “How I Got Unstuck From My Writing Rut”
Tag Archives: Writing Tips
Happy Book-Coach-a-Versary to Me! (Plus a gift for you!)
As of July 20, it will be two years since I put out my shingle as a book coach! It feels like forever and yesterday at the same time, as most things do when you reach a certain age, am I right? I came to book coaching organically. I describe my journey to book coachingContinue reading “Happy Book-Coach-a-Versary to Me! (Plus a gift for you!)”
Writers: Know Thyself
The picture above is a peek at some of my craft books. I LOVE craft books! Books about writing? I mean does it get better than that? Not for me. I bet you have a shelf like that, too. Craft books are as individual as the writer who writes them. One book may work forContinue reading “Writers: Know Thyself”
Celebrate Your Writing
As we prepare to celebrate this week with fireworks and Sousa marches and summer desserts that all deserve a luscious whipped topping, I want to ask you: When was the last time you celebrated your writing? Recently, I received good news about my own writing. The book I’m querying had done well in a contest.Continue reading “Celebrate Your Writing”
My Favorite Things: June 2024
My youngest “graduated” from middle school this week. It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine. Before we had kids I used to see friend’s preschool graduation pictures and think “That is ridiculous. It’s preschool!” Then my nearly five year old donned his graduation cap and clutched a rolled up certificate and I got it. LifeContinue reading “My Favorite Things: June 2024”
Writing & Baseball
Earlier this week, I posted on Instagram: I was feeling pretty motivated after that “no,” to be honest. I was firmly in the “let’s get rejected today” mindset of using it as fuel to keep going, keep trying. And then… I got another rejection on a partial Tuesday. The doubts crept in. Cut toContinue reading “Writing & Baseball”
Avoiding Rookie Writing Mistakes
Rookie mistakes. We all make them. Mine? Writing a novel without ever studying structure. Surely this was something I’d just know by osmosis from all that reading and those English classes I took. Wrong. Turns out, I hadn’t a clue. I came close. Maybe even serviceably close. But I didn’t know a lot and itContinue reading “Avoiding Rookie Writing Mistakes”
There Goes My Hero…
In May, my husband and I went to the Foo Fighters concert. It was AMAZING! One of my favorite songs is “My Hero.” Rock is all about the big, the flashy, the in your face. The extraordinary. Rock stars and super heroes all seem to live in the same rarefied air of our cultural awe. Continue reading “There Goes My Hero…”
Getting to Know Your Villain
On Monday, I posted a quote on Instagram: It can be tempting, easy even, to simply see the world through our protagonist’s eyes. It’s actually a necessity, especially as many books written these days are in close third or first person. We need to know our protagonist’s intimately as well as how they see theContinue reading “Getting to Know Your Villain”
What I Learned About Writing From My Son’s Track Meet
My youngest and a group of his pals decided to try out for the track team this spring. Despite having an uncle for a track coach, my knowledge of the sport is limited to whatever I happen to soak in during the summer Olympics and is quickly forgotten for four years until the next round. Continue reading “What I Learned About Writing From My Son’s Track Meet”