If you’ve recently completed #NaNoWriMo, congratulations! Finishing a draft of a manuscript is a major accomplishment that many people dream of achieving, but few actually do. But before you hit the “Publish” button, you need to take a step back. Or two, or three. It is a truth universally acknowledged–or it should be–that every author… Read more »
Toni Morrison and J.K. Rowling have inspired countless writers to follow in their footsteps, yet their distinctive work is rarely linked to their shared experience of parenting children on their own. As coeditor of We Got This: Solo Mom Stories of Grit, Heart, and Humor, an anthology of essays and poems by solo moms, I’m… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan. Virginia Loh-Hagan is an educator and author. She is the 2016 recipient of California Reading Association’s Marcus Foster Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in reading. Currently, she is directing the Liberal Studies program at San Diego State University. She has a… Read more »
“I’m so busy I barely have time to write! How am I supposed to work on building my author brand, too?” For those of us who have other full-time commitments, it can be hard to find the time to work on our writing projects, let alone focus on building an author brand. However, that doesn’t… Read more »
We finally have a question for the editor! It only took a few months for someone to write to me, but here it is, and I’d like to take a moment to celebrate. And apparently, when it rains it really does pour because I actually received TWO questions about the same topic: italics. So—celebration now… Read more »
Congratulations! You’ve published your book—now what? You worked very hard to get here—sitting on your own, writing, rewriting, and submitting for publication—surviving rejection and persisting. It’s time to buckle up again though, because post-publication may be bumpy, even overwhelming at times. Here are five tips to help smooth your way. Take a deep breath. Exhale…. Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Carolyn Crimi and Corinna Luyken, the author and illustrator behind the buzz-worthy middle grade novel Weird Little Robots. Carolyn Crimi is the author of several books for children, including Where’s My Mummy?, Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, Henry and the Crazed Chicken Pirates, and… Read more »
I’m a word nerd. Of course, that’s no surprise considering I’m writing this column at DIY MFA, the home of word nerdom. I started early, like most word nerds, collecting big words, unusual words. Words such as antidisestablishmentarianism, serendipity, and logophile. I love knowing the right and precise word for a specific thing. Like knowing… Read more »
This is it. THE signpost scene. The scene that James Scott Bell says is, “the whole point of a novel” in his writing craft book, Super Structure. Signpost Scene #13: The Final Battle. In the Final Battle, readers (and writers) get to experience the reason they clung to a story in the first place. In this… Read more »
I spent five years as a literary agent, three of them in NYC, and I never thought I’d leave that business. Then I met the Midwestern man I would marry in a Brooklyn bar. And here’s the thing: Midwesterners always go back, no matter what they try to tell you. Many people agent successfully from… Read more »
