Announcing New Reading Columns at DIY MFA!

Hey Word Nerds! OMG do I have some awesome news to share today. I’m beyond excited to announce that we are adding not one, not two, but three new columns to our regular DIY MFA schedule. One of my favorite parts of DIY MFA is building our community by bringing you more word nerd wisdom… Read more »

How to Get the Most out of a Critique

Having previously outlined my Thirteen Rules of Successful Critique for those critiquing a piece, it’s only fair to now turn the spotlight on the writer. It takes incredible bravery for an author to bring his or her baby to a group of people for the specific purpose of having it sliced and diced while sitting… Read more »

A New Approach to Critique

As the leader of two writers groups and having led/attended over a hundred critique sessions, I have a lot of experience on which to draw. While many critique sessions go as intended, I’ve seen some go very, very wrong. More times than not, the miss stems from a single reason: readers going into critique to… Read more »

Can Facebook Ads Really Boost Your Author Platform?

Facebook ads seem to have hit that tipping point within the author community over the past year and become a popular tactic for reaching readers. This is in no small part due to a handful of top-selling indie authors who swear Facebook ads are their secret. But look at these authors closer, and you’ll see… Read more »

SCBWI Conference 101

If you’ve read DIY MFA or have been following this website for a while, you know how important community is for writers. You need to find readers for your stories, but it’s also incredibly valuable to find other writers who write the same kinds of books as you. If you’re a kid lit writer (or… Read more »

When Your Why is Bigger than Your Fear

At the end of April I found myself in a place I never would have thought possible. I had not been forced or coerced in any way, I was there of my own free will. This past weekend I was at a retreat for public speaking. Back in January, Gabriela sent out an email telling… Read more »

The #1 Tip For Introverts Attending a Writing Conference

Everyone should officially attend at least one writers’ conference. The amount of validation you get from claiming your spot as a “real” writer, whether you feel like you are or not, is totally worth the price of the ticket. If you’re attending your first writers’ conference, Gabriela has some great, very practical tips for getting… Read more »

#5OnFri: Five Twitter Chats for Five Different Writers

Writing hashtags and Twittter chats are hot right now. There are plenty of pages explaining them and what to look for, but who are these chats for? What can be gained from them? Here are five kinds of writers and the benefits they can gain from participating in a Twitter chat. 1) The Social Butterfly… Read more »

My Fantastic Experience at Malice Domestic 2017

I am a writing conference junkie. But they are costly, time consuming, and I am often left wondering was it worth? Recently, I forced myself to go on a conference diet. But when my critique partner told me she was going to Malice Domestic, she waved in front of me the writer’s equivalent of a… Read more »