As writers, there’s a specific moment we all dream about. It’s the moment that motivates us and drives us to write our book in the first place. No, it’s not first holding a copy of our books in our own hands, though that’s a pretty great moment. It’s also not seeing our books on store… Read more »
A few weeks ago while I browsed through the YA aisle in Barnes and Noble, I flipped through the Q&A section in the back of one of Lauren Oliver’s books. One of the things Oliver cited as inspiration for her popular Delirium trilogy was something she’d read that said all stories are either about love… Read more »
(Web Editor’s Note: This is an article first pubbed in June 2014 we thought we’d dig out of the archives and share again!) “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” I remember reading that line, in a classroom in Texas in August, with my collared uniform shirt scratching my neck, thinking, “Compare someone you love to… Read more »
In exactly one week, the DIY MFA book will arrive at the publisher’s warehouse and I will officially be a book author. Cue tween girl squeals in 3… 2… 1… While my publishing experience has been very easy-going and straight-forward, it hasn’t always been unicorns and pixie dust. I’ve certainly had “teachable moments” when I’ve learned… Read more »
Over the past few weeks as we anxiously awaited the review copy of the DIY MFA book, the Street Team has been hard at work, contemplating their weekly prompts and tackling big questions about their writing lives. We waded in deep this month with some heavy questions. It’s not easy to admit fear, weakness, and… Read more »
This past week, I set myself two writing goals to accomplish every day. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I achieved my goals with no problem. But Thursday was a different story. I finished my morning writing, but when it was time to work on my afternoon project, I found myself staring down the dark tunnel… Read more »
It’s hard to say which plot point is most crucial to a story. Each has a purpose for moving our characters physically and emotionally from Point A to Point B. However, the inciting incident has a unique responsibility. It’s not just the first major event – it’s the launching pad that thrusts a character into… Read more »
In this installment of “Writer Fuel” I show my true colors in all their geeky glory. Warning: things are going to get a bit nerdy up in here. Just saying. As with previous installments, this topic first came up in the DIY MFA newsletter. If you’re already an email subscriber, you can help me choose letters that get featured here by… Read more »
I talked before about the first stages of editing, from pre-round edits, to cover copy, to round one content edits. We attacked details with gusto, but moving into copy edits and final line edits, the details went microscopic. Clarity of prose, sensitivity of subject matter, echo words, punctuation—we looked at every sentence as through a… Read more »
Most writers do some kind of research while working on a story. However, have you considered doing a “market research” project? By market research, I mean reading published books in your genre that cover the same or similar topic. I’ve been working on one for my WIP, and doing so has helped me get a… Read more »
