Every writer needs a healthy dose of humility. Having a humble outlook is what lets us realize that we still need to work on our craft. That we should never rest on our laurels because our writing is never as good as it could be. That there’s always room for improvement. Humility is what makes… Read more »
Last week we talked about the power of words and how we must use them with precision, and today we consider the counterpart of those words, the silence. After all, it’s not just what we choose to say, but what we choose not to say, that matters. To illustrate my point, I would like to… Read more »
In today’s mobile society, it can sometimes be a challenge to keep your thoughts organized. This is very important if you are a writer. Inspiration can hit you at any given moment, but thankfully there is an app for that. There are plenty of smartphones and apps out on the market today that can help… Read more »
This has been an exciting week here at DIY MFA. It may not look like a lot has happened on the surface, but behind the scenes we have a lot of awesome things cooking. One of those things is that I’ve assembled the DIY MFA Team! In the coming weeks, I’ll be talking more about… Read more »
I’ve always wanted to go to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum, but rarely had a chance to get there. Once upon a time, I think I went there on a school field trip, but it was a long time ago and I had never gone back since. Until this weekend. But even as I… Read more »
You’re a writer. Time may be your most precious commodity, but your strongest asset is… people. That’s right. Even the lone writer needs people to make things happen. We can’t do this on our own. So why is it that this valuable asset–this community of twin souls–is often the first thing writers ignore or let… Read more »
Once upon a time, writers could hide away in ivory towers and immerse themselves in their work, not worrying about what the world beyond those hallowed walls thought of their writing. No longer. Now writers must engage with the world at large and connect with their readers. This, of course, raises an important question for… Read more »
When I was a kid, my local library did a summer reading challenge. You had to keep track of your books in a reading log, move your name tag across a giant game board with each book you read, and if you got to 25 books you’d win a T-Shirt. In middle school, I won… Read more »
Once upon a time, all authors had to do was write a good book. All that other stuff, like branding and publicity, was taken care of by the marketing experts. But times have changed and now more than ever the onus has been on writers to be part of both the writing and business sides… Read more »
In my final installment of ThrillerFest recaps and I thought I’d save one of my favorites for last. In her fabulous talk on Creative Consistency, Lisa Gardner shared three important steps that writers must take in order to get creative on demand. Being able to get creative on demand is a crucial aspect of being… Read more »
