“I’m a relatively new writer and all of this advice is kind of overwhelming. What are the most important ‘don’ts’ I should avoid in my writing?” – Mark H. Copping to a fault is tough. We all want to think that we’re gifted by the heavenly virtues of writing and that our right to write… Read more »
“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 a summer’s day? WHY. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?” Well, apparently in other parts of the country, summer is quite pleasant. It’s… Read more »
This is the third post in my series on the benefits and practicality of writing with an outline. In my first post, I listed three reasons why most writers need an outline. In the second, I discussed three things to keep in mind when creating an outline. Now, what do you do now that you actually… Read more »
Too often, as a writer, it’s easy to throw in the towel and say: “I can’t write about that, it’s not my experience.” Neither is slaying dragons, living in Victorian England, or surviving a pandemic. It would appear that experience is not necessary for an engaging narrative. In fact, we seem to want to read… Read more »
“I finally finished my ten-book epic fantasy series! Now I’m ready to start editing. How do I do that, exactly?” –The Next J.R.R., G.R.R., or J.K. Woah! Slow down there, turbo. First of all, congratulations on reaching the editing stage! That’s a step that most budding authors don’t get to. But you’re looking at this… Read more »
In a blog post dated April 2013, about a month before his New York Times bestseller The Fifth Wave hit shelves, Rick Yancey listed four reasons not to be a writer. His second was “Failure is guaranteed.” Here’s what he had to say: “You have to come to terms with your own loser-ness. I do this by looking at… Read more »
“How do you write so much? I can’t seem to get much more than 20,000 words on my novel so far!” – Devon A. H. If you had to choose between quantity and quality, I’m guessing most of you would choose quality. So, you spend about a year writing, angsting and revising—and that’s all just… Read more »
I think we all have a romantic notion of the author springing from his bed, crying “Eureka!” and scribbling furiously some wonderful new idea that has just been beamed into his head like an alien. I like this idea. I like to exploit this idea. I carry around a Moleksine notebook. Who doesn’t, these days?… Read more »
The end of May, the tenth book in my AGAINST series, AGAINST THE WILD, is being released. This is the first of three books about the rugged Brodie brothers of Alaska. Being plot-oriented, I usually work through the story from start to finish, then figure out where the best place is going to be for… Read more »
Have you been talking about finishing that draft but never seem to find the time to do it? Is there a story you’ve been dying to write but somehow life always gets in the way? Don’t worry, we’ve been there and we totally get how you feel. This is why DIY MFA is hosting another Writing… Read more »
