Happy Friday, Word Nerds! We’re now well and truly into summer and conference season has begun! In fact, Gabriela and Emily are attending Thrillerfest right now. In a few weeks, Sarah will be attending the Romance Writers of America Conference, and a week after that, Gabriela and I will be at Writers Digest. And this… Read more »
Hey Word Nerds! Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio. Back in June, I went on my first mini writing retreat right here in my hometown of New York City. I didn’t go far from home–just a couple of miles–but I left the house, went to a hotel and spent about 24 hours immersed in my writing…. Read more »
Welcome to the first installment of “Be Well, Write Well,” a column about writing wellness! I’m Leanne Sowul, writer, reader and educator. In this series, we’ll explore our potential for living healthy, happy lives that balance writing passion with overall wellness. Are you ready to dive in with me? Let’s grow and learn together! Writers… Read more »
Happy almost Independence Day! I know it’s not Friday, but I was so excited to share this post, I couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Plus it’s a holiday week, so here’s our regular #5onFri column, this week on a Thursday. We’re deep into summer now, and everyone’s minds are on barbecues and beach trips. But here… Read more »
Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m so excited to be interviewing Beatriz Williams. She is the author of the international bestsellers Overseas, A Hundred Summers, and The Secret Life of Violet Grant. Her new book, Tiny Little Thing, hit bookstores on June 23 and is out now. I’m reading… Read more »
I have a confession to make. My two daughters loved Junie B. Jones when they were little. Adored that whole (giant) series by Barbara Park. And I hated those books with a fiery passion. As a narrator, Junie B. was rude, impulsive and disobedient, with poor grammar and misspelled words to boot. She was my… Read more »
Thrillerfest is in just two weeks. Hear that? That’s my scream of glee. ThrillerFest is an annual conference for writers organized by International Thriller Writers (ITW). The event, now in its tenth year, brings together thousands of writers, agents, publishers and other industry professionals together each year. To borrow from Anchorman, it’s kind of a… Read more »
OMG, I have been holding onto this secret for weeks now and I’m so unbelievably excited to share the news. Drumroll please… DIY MFA is hosting its first ever online writing conference! I have been a combination of nervous and excited about this announcement and I haven’t been able to keep my head on straight for the past few… Read more »
Hey Word Nerds! Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I want to talk to you about a crucial part of my own creative life: The Brain Book. It’s my portable office. When I have the Brain Book with me I know I can be creatively productive anytime, anywhere. Not only does the… Read more »
So far in our series Developing Themes In Your Stories, we’ve covered how understanding your protagonist’s character arc and developing your story’s premise sentence can help you consciously nurture literary themes. Today we’ll discuss a third way of mining for themes by looking outside your characters and studying the external conflict. Like with the previous… Read more »
