Tales of a Solopreneur

Tales of a Solopreneur

As I write this post in early 2022, I’ve closed out my 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical (“VWS”) and started fresh. I mentioned in my Discovering the Art of Book Coaching post in December that my 2022 VWS would include focusing on completing a book coach certification program and starting a book coaching business. I’m at… Read more »

February 2022 Leisure Learning

February 2022 Leisure Learning

Hello, word nerds and other lovers of language! Hopefully, by now, you are fully into your new writing schedule or project that will carry you through 2022. If not, if you are perhaps still trying some ideas out, just tell everyone you’re going through your experimental period and have a blast! After all, authentic emotion… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Things to Remove from Your TBR List

#5onFri: Five Things to Remove from Your TBR List

I love reading. It is my main hobby. I am always on the lookout for new authors and books to enjoy. But, I also get recommendations from friends, magazines and the Internet that I ignore. Because of my ever-growing TBR list, I have more books to read than I could ever get to. Lately, I’ve… Read more »

Draft Day, or Learning to Celebrate Your Manuscript

Draft Day, or Learning to Celebrate Your Manuscript

Last summer, on a hectic day before a month-long vacation, I went to the print shop for my final errand. I’d spent the past ten months working on the second draft of my latest novel—submitting chapters to my writing group, fixing the clunky narrative arc, and generally solidifying my sketchy first pass. Now the dogged… Read more »

Writer to Writer: William di Canzio and E.M. Forster

Writer to Writer: William di Canzio and E.M. Forster

When I was in college, I had the privilege of taking a course titled “Writing Back to Empire.” It was a study of postcolonial literature taught by the brilliant Professor Kathleen Renk, but the course title alone did more to describe that school of theory & criticism for our young minds than any other definition… Read more »

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 »

#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 »

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 »

#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 »