“Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound. No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.” – Seth Godin Starting something new (a blog, a business, an email list, etc.), like… Read more »
It’s not just you. Starting a blog can be knee-knocking scary—even when you know it can help you get published, build an audience of eager readers, and build your credibility as a writer. Because what will you write about? What if you don’t have time? And why should anybody listen to you when a bajillion successful bloggers out there have been… Read more »
Imagine this. You wake up one dewy Saturday morning, sit down with your laptop and a hot cup of Earl Grey to check your email, and you find this: a green light for that story you pitched the editor last week, fan emails full of questions and enthusiastic thank yous, and an invitation to interview for… Read more »
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 »
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 »
We’ve all been there. You’re sipping eggnog and listening to your aunt bragging about your baby cousin’s latest football victory. You’re wrapping gifts with your sisters. Gathering to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. And just when you think you’ve made it through the holidays unscathed, someone turns and asks the five most terrifying… Read more »
In my last column, I talked about using the follow-back practice to build a following. In this one, we’ll look at what you should do when others don’t follow you back. As a quick recap, so we’re all moving forward from the same understanding: The follow-back strategy is based on the Twitter etiquette that if… Read more »
