Web Editor’s Note: I’m so excited to welcome Constance Renfrow as one of our regular columnists! Constance is an editor as well as a writer, and in her column will be shedding some light on what happens on the other side of the book deal. Please join me in welcoming her to DIY MFA team! Greetings, writers!… Read more »
Happy Friday Word Nerds! Today I want to talk about one of my personal obsessions: planners. In high school and college, one of my favorite yearly purchases was the perfect planner, always bought in August, in time for school. The options were basically what the bookstore had to offer. But now, there are so many options for planners…. Read more »
I’ve been working in social media, blogging and all-around online platforming for about as long as I’ve had a career. I’ve even dabbled in some myself, as a writer and freelancer. But I didn’t launch my own author platform until this fall, when I got a publisher and made the decision to use a pseudonym…. Read more »
Happy Friday, Word Nerds! Today I want to talk about guest posts. One of my favorite parts about my job as Web Editor is hosting other writers on DIY MFA. Over the years, we’ve had many guest posts that have been a benefit to our community and the guest poster. In some cases, guest posters… Read more »
From my writing desk’s window this morning, I see dull brown grass trimmed with splotches of melting snow, bare trees, and a gray sky. January is hardly the most inspiring time of year, at least not for those of us living in a seasonal climate. Yet that cold and boring outside has its upside: it… Read more »
I got back from Australia this week, and have been dealing with a combination of jetlag, busy-ness and grief at no longer being among the sunshine and kangaroos. The weirdest part of jet lag? I will be exhausted all day and then wide awake at night. I’ve basically become a vampire. Of course, this is… Read more »
Self-censorship is a tricky topic for those of us who write for children and youth. People have very strong opinions about what they think children should be exposed to in stories—and not everyone agrees about it. Fiction may not be technically true, but the best fiction still tells the truth. What truth do you want… Read more »
Everyone communicates in some manner every day. We use emails, phone calls, and face-to-face conversations to share ideas, information, and feelings with other people. What happens, though, when communication is hindered by language, developmental disorders, or other barriers? Or when there’s a misunderstanding? Those obstacles can affect our relationships and prevent us – or our… Read more »
Happy New Year Word Nerds! We’re saying farewell to 2015 and ringing in 2016 in a big way here at DIY MFA. 2015 brought all kinds of awesome, including our first conference and Gabriela turning in the DIY MFA book! 2016 promises to be even more amazing as we gear up for the publication and a… Read more »
I write romance, so yeah, I love love scenes. I enjoy writing them. It’s a lot of fun. I look forward to them. Contrary to what many think, though, those love scene aren’t always sexual. It can be any moment of intimacy between two characters, a simple touch of a hand. Not necessarily skin to… Read more »
