#5onFri: Five Writing Tips from The French Chef

#5onFri: Five Writing Tips from The French Chef

When the writing isn’t going well, I often go to the kitchen, not to consume (well, sometimes), but to reconnect with the creative flow. Seeking kitchen inspiration, I rediscovered the seminal cooking show, The French Chef.  The first thing I noticed is that culinary icon Julia Child isn’t perfect. She loses her train of thought,… Read more »

Find Your Community

Find Your Community

“This is my roommate, Cat. She’s a writer.” I nearly lost my lunch the first time my friend, then roommate of six years, Ethan, introduced me that way at his birthday party. Ethan and I met in 2017 at work, folding hoodies at Lululemon in downtown Manhattan. We had both recently graduated from college. He… Read more »

The Top 3 Simple Instagram Tips for Writers

The Top 3 Simple Instagram Tips for Writers

Instagram tips for writers out on the internet can offer conflicting advice and complicated strategies. In this post, I’ll try to boil down the top three Instagram tips for writers so you can kick-start or enhance your author platform.  Over the last two months, I doubled my Instagram followers from 400 to 800+ so I… Read more »

Reading as a Creative Act

Reading as a Creative Act

Writers, I’d like to talk about reading. Growing up, it was the form of entertainment universally endorsed by adults. Kids could watch too much TV or spend too many hours playing video games, but rarely did one get in trouble for reading too many books. (Although I’m sure some of you reading this have some… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Ways to Make the Most of Your MacGuffin

#5onFri: Five Ways to Make the Most of Your MacGuffin

A MacGuffin (sometimes spelled McGuffin) can be a way to draw your characters into the real story. There needs to be something going on at the beginning of the story to hook the reader in and show the characters being proactive—before the full implications of the plot crash down on them. A MacGuffin is an… Read more »

How Finding Your Why Helps You Keep Writing

How Finding Your Why Helps You Keep Writing

A few weeks ago at a dinner party, I fielded one of my least favorite questions: “What do you do?” In response, I smiled blandly, mentioned my writing, and braced myself for the usual barrage of follow-ups: “How do you support yourself?” “What do you write?” “What inspires you?” No, my writing doesn’t support me…. Read more »