Editor’s Note: Columnist, Sara Farmer, is writing a limited series for DIY MFA in which she interviews authors of color who write thrillers. She is kicking off the series with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, Certain Dark Things, Untamed Shore, and more. Check back in two weeks for the next installment!… Read more »
If you remember my previous post, I said everyone has their own Writer’s Intuition. However, it takes conscious effort to become aware of this intuition. As such, I am going to share with you an exercise I did that helped me raise my own awareness. A few years ago, I realized that I needed to… Read more »
You’re excited. You’ve decided to take on a new project. The idea has been stirring in your head for years and you’re finally going to do it. You’re going to write a book— Now what? Writing a book is a huge undertaking. It took ten years and countless revisions to get my own book published…. Read more »
As human beings, our work is very important. Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life, and we often put a ton of time and energy into it. But what about our characters’ jobs? How much thought do we put into that? We authors recognize the importance of strong characterization,… Read more »
The time is upon you to put pen to paper and write the next great romantic comedy, an ingenious prose worthy of the Pulitzer-Prize in Comedic Literature. (Well, if there was such an award.) You marked your calendar and thought this day would never arrive. It is a long weekend devoid of plans, perhaps a… Read more »
With discussions and movements surrounding racial equality growing every day, writers around the world are having to step back and look at the world we love so much. From a lack of Black and Own Voices writers on bestseller tables to everyday racist and bigoted terms that sneak below our editing radar, we writers and… Read more »
Regardless of the type of work you do, when you present yourself as a writer, you put a part of who you are into everything you create. That level of vulnerability makes it all the more important that you take steps to protect your privacy while promoting your writing online. If you’ve never given much… Read more »
Some time ago—before the days of coronavirus and social distancing—I attended a conference and ran into a colleague of mine at one of the cocktail happy hours. We exchanged pleasantries and filled each other in on what was new in our work. She had a new book out and it had been nominated for an… Read more »
Women comprise a large percentage of true crime fans. The most common theory behind this popularity seems to be that women read and watch true crime to face their fears. As with many facets of real life, this phenomenon made its way into fiction. For the last few years, books documenting women solving cold cases… Read more »
As a writer, nothing is more frustrating than ending a writing session with a blank page. Sometimes outside distractions like family, pets, or social media cause us to lose focus. Or sometimes internal forces like worry, doubt, or anxiety that stop our fingers from adding words to the page. Either way, it’s frustrating. We’re writers—we… Read more »
