As writers, there’s a specific moment we all dream about. It’s the moment that motivates us and drives us to write our book in the first place. No, it’s not first holding a copy of our books in our own hands, though that’s a pretty great moment. It’s also not seeing our books on store… Read more »
A few weeks ago while I browsed through the YA aisle in Barnes and Noble, I flipped through the Q&A section in the back of one of Lauren Oliver’s books. One of the things Oliver cited as inspiration for her popular Delirium trilogy was something she’d read that said all stories are either about love… Read more »
You’ve finished writing your novel. Congratulations! Writing a book may be the first step, but it’s not an easy one. Celebrate the accomplishment, and get to work on the next steps. Collect feedback from CPs and beta readers. Revise and edit. Then, once you’ve gone over every word, polishing all of them to a bright… Read more »
(Web Editor’s Note: This is an article first pubbed in June 2014 we thought we’d dig out of the archives and share again!) “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” I remember reading that line, in a classroom in Texas in August, with my collared uniform shirt scratching my neck, thinking, “Compare someone you love to… Read more »
There are five major things I needed to do before my book release I wish I’d done sooner. Here’s hoping with this list, you won’t be taken by surprise like me. These five things can be done anytime. There’s no such thing as doing them too early, and when your first book does come out… Read more »
In marketing, there is a saying that pretty much every person in the industry hears at some point: Half of advertising doesn’t work, we just don’t know what half. It’s a flip comment that’s usually good for a quick guffaw, but I hate this saying. It implies that there is no strategy to marketing outreach, and that… Read more »
In exactly one week, the DIY MFA book will arrive at the publisher’s warehouse and I will officially be a book author. Cue tween girl squeals in 3… 2… 1… While my publishing experience has been very easy-going and straight-forward, it hasn’t always been unicorns and pixie dust. I’ve certainly had “teachable moments” when I’ve learned… Read more »
Over the past few weeks as we anxiously awaited the review copy of the DIY MFA book, the Street Team has been hard at work, contemplating their weekly prompts and tackling big questions about their writing lives. We waded in deep this month with some heavy questions. It’s not easy to admit fear, weakness, and… Read more »
This past week, I set myself two writing goals to accomplish every day. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I achieved my goals with no problem. But Thursday was a different story. I finished my morning writing, but when it was time to work on my afternoon project, I found myself staring down the dark tunnel… Read more »
I’ll be forever grateful to Susan Cain for making introversion cool. Her book QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, helped millions of chatty extroverts understand why our culture’s preference for people-saturated experiences exhausts some of us. She gave an excellent Ted Talk, too. I finally felt celebrated! We introverts… Read more »
