Have you been kicking around a children’s story idea in your head and you’re not sure where to start? You’re in luck! I’ve compiled several key questions into a survey and asked parents, grandparents, and teachers for their input. Based on their responses, I’ve summarized the top five best tools recommended for writing a children’s… Read more »
I’ve always loved a good prompt when it comes to writing because I’ve always loved a challenge. These are usually questions or directives (though they don’t have to be) with the goal of inciting a written response from the writer, such as: “two strangers meet in a bar, and one of them turns to the… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Gillian McDunn. We’ll be talking about Honestly Elliott, a middle grade novel about a big-hearted boy trying to find the way to his best self. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast… Read more »
No one sets out to make mistakes with their writing, especially a food novel. Writers are driven by a passion to share universal experiences, and sometimes, that’s exactly what gets them off-track. It happens to the best of us. Some professional nonfiction food writers have dipped their toes in the world of fiction to only… Read more »
As I write this post in early 2022, I’ve closed out my 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical (“VWS”) and started fresh. I mentioned in my Discovering the Art of Book Coaching post in December that my 2022 VWS would include focusing on completing a book coach certification program and starting a book coaching business. I’m at… Read more »
Hello, word nerds and other lovers of language! Hopefully, by now, you are fully into your new writing schedule or project that will carry you through 2022. If not, if you are perhaps still trying some ideas out, just tell everyone you’re going through your experimental period and have a blast! After all, authentic emotion… Read more »
I love reading. It is my main hobby. I am always on the lookout for new authors and books to enjoy. But, I also get recommendations from friends, magazines and the Internet that I ignore. Because of my ever-growing TBR list, I have more books to read than I could ever get to. Lately, I’ve… Read more »
Last summer, on a hectic day before a month-long vacation, I went to the print shop for my final errand. I’d spent the past ten months working on the second draft of my latest novel—submitting chapters to my writing group, fixing the clunky narrative arc, and generally solidifying my sketchy first pass. Now the dogged… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing JK Ellem. We’ll be talking about Ravenwood, a serial killer domestic thriller, and the sequel to Mill Point Road, the Amazon US & UK #1 Bestselling Thriller. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter, especially for… Read more »
When I was in college, I had the privilege of taking a course titled “Writing Back to Empire.” It was a study of postcolonial literature taught by the brilliant Professor Kathleen Renk, but the course title alone did more to describe that school of theory & criticism for our young minds than any other definition… Read more »
