What MFAs Miss about the Editing Process

What MFAs Miss about the Editing Process

Browsing Twitter last week, I saw a tweet from a colleague of mine that read, “I’m curious, for writers who have published books, what was the editing process like? Especially curious about your first book. From whom and at what stage did you receive edits? To what degree? Does this question even make sense? Why… Read more »

The Book Nook: Maus by Art Spiegelman

The Book Nook: Maus by Art Spiegelman

If you read my last post, you’re probably wondering why I’m talking about Maus today. The answer is simple. Shortly after I shared my last post, in which I listed twelve books that I’ve owned for a long time and vowed to read in 2022, a school board in Tennessee banned Maus, the graphic novel… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Reasons to Start a Morning Writing Routine

#5onFri: Five Reasons to Start a Morning Writing Routine

Over the years I’ve struggled to establish a regular writing routine. I was constantly adjusting my schedule to accommodate school, internships, and a variety of part-time jobs. But even once I settled into a full-time job with a steady schedule, my writing routine still faltered. I tried to squeeze time into lunch breaks and scheduled… Read more »

Going from Preparing to Write to Actually Writing

Going from Preparing to Write to Actually Writing

Hey, y’all. I come before you today, standing at the precipice of possibility. The place where inertia becomes action. The moment where I engage in the act of sitting down and actually writing.  This winter, I invested in a masterclass program that walked me through the process of taking an idea, creating a high-level outline,… Read more »

It’s Messy in the Middle: Answering the Call for Diversity

It’s Messy in the Middle: Answering the Call for Diversity

According to Ron Burgundy, played by Will Ferrell in the 2004 comedy Anchorman, “diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era.” Of course, this is both hilariously false and maybe the perfect metaphor for understanding the struggle around answering the call for diversity within the publishing world. Answering… Read more »

Kid Lit Craft: Interview with Anna Staniszewski

Kid Lit Craft: Interview with Anna Staniszewski

Hello fellow Kid Lit Writers! This week, I have the pleasure of introducing author Anna Staniszewski.  Anna has been writing children’s books for 10 years now; her first book came out in 2011, and her most recent book, Double Clique: A Wish Novel, came out in December of 2021. She was born in Poland and… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Ways Freelancers Can Keep Clients' Data Safe

#5onFri: Five Ways Freelancers Can Keep Clients’ Data Safe

Being a freelance writer can be an empowering career path. You have the opportunity to pursue a creative activity you love while also keeping a schedule suited to your lifestyle. However, as with any business owner, you also have certain responsibilities to your clients. The need to keep clients’ data safe and secure is one… Read more »

Writing from Your Perspective

Writing from Your Perspective

As an author of color, I often hear from writers like me that they think their main characters need to be white in order to be widely read. I’ve been a Pitch Wars mentor twice (a mentoring program where an agented/published writer or industry professional picks one writer to work on their manuscript for three… Read more »