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 »
Dear Word Nerds, As we launch into the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful things that have come of this year, and—more importantly—all the people who helped me get where I am. While DIY MFA started off as a one-woman show, these days it is far from that…. 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 »
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 »
To celebrate the upcoming Writer Igniter Con, my team and I put together a giveaway. We gave away tons of really cool prizes, like free admission to the Con, query and 10-page critiques, even enrollment in the DIY MFA flagship course! Are you ready to find out who these lucky writers are? *drumroll* Registration to… Read more »
At ThrillerFest, a social media expert introduced me to a new concept for Twitter platform growth: what I’ve started calling the follow-back tactic. In short, you search for and follow people in your target audience, and you follow them. They follow you back to reciprocate, and everyone’s platforms grow. So simple! I couldn’t believe I’d… Read more »
Hey hey, Word Nerds! On Friday night, I clicked “send” on the email to my publisher containing the DIY MFA manuscript. Cue happy dance in 3… 2… 1… There is still a lot of editing and other work to do before it’s ready for launch, but I’m very excited about this milestone and wanted to share it… Read more »
OMG Writer Igniter Con is just one week away! One of my favorite things about this online conference is that you can get real-time feedback from agents so you can learn to pitch your book. Of course, with the conference just around the corner, my team and I have been getting some questions what a pitch actually is, why writers… Read more »
If you’re anything like me, when you’re in the throes of the creative process you end up throwing everything at the page and the kitchen sink, just trying not to stifle your muse or leave anything important out of the story you’re trying to tell. When you finally finish it’s tempting to just close the… Read more »
Happy Fall, Word Nerds! Summer is over, and I’m not mourning. I’m a little too busy anticipating the first Chai Tea Latte of the season, sweaters, and cozy writing days. But boy, was this a busy and wonderful few months! Summer is high conference season, and as we prepared for our own writing conference this… Read more »
