I have called myself a writer for almost twenty years, yet somehow the madness of NaNoWriMo managed to elude me until this fateful November, 2015. Over the summer and even more in October, I started seeing posts about something with a weird nickname that was making people crazy on an international level. “NaNoWriMo?” I thought… Read more »
The year is coming to a close, but we still have a few weeks left to assess where we are in 2015, and where we want to be in 2016. What did you accomplish this year? What are you hoping to accomplish next? It’s time for an Annual Review at your writing corporation of one…. Read more »
When people consider writing for children, they often think about picture books first. You know the ones—the big ones found in the “E for Easy” section of the library with short text and illustrations. These days, librarians refer to this section as “E for Everyone” and with good reason. Everyone can enjoy a good picture… Read more »
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that November is National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo for short. What you may not know is that it’s also Picture Book Idea Month—PiBoIdMo! Tara Lazar created PiBoIdMo for picture book writers who want to get in on all the zany fun novelists have in November… Read more »
My agent calls, and I swallow the urge to scream. Bad news comes via email. If she’s calling that only means one thing—that magic word—DEAL. She received an offer from Samhain Publishing for my novel Racing To You. This is what all writers know as . . . The Call: I’m speechless, sort of. I… Read more »
Happy Friday, Word Nerds! Anyone need a dose of encouragement to get you into the weekend and through the rest of this crazy month? DIY MFA’s got you covered. Here’s five of our top articles to give you a burst of energy and a little advice on how to keep going even when the going’s… Read more »
It’s November, and I am going to go out on a limb here and bet that there are a few tired writers out there. The days are short. School fatigue may be setting in. The holidays are just around the corner, with all the wonderful chaos they bring. And, on top of that, we’re about… Read more »
Now, you can find writing advice anywhere, but here on DIY MFA, we’ve got some words of wisdom you just gotta take to heart. Each one of these amazing writers have something to share with you: a lesson learned, a friendly pat on the shoulder, good old fashioned experience, tips we wish we knew before… Read more »
Music, painting, acting – art comes in many forms and can have a profound impact on our lives. It can also be a treat for the reader’s imagination when it takes center stage in a story. This never happens by coincidence, though. When art appears in fiction, it always has a purpose and therefore resonates… Read more »
Deciding to attend a writer’s conference for the first time is like deciding to visit a foreign country. You Google, do your research, and learn a new language (words like “pitch,” “logline,” “platform” and “query”). By the time you get to the conference you’re competent that your knowledge of genres and age groups is enough… Read more »
