#5onFri: Five Sneaky Ways Perfectionism Sabotages Your Writing

#5onFri: Five Sneaky Ways Perfectionism Sabotages Your Writing

Perfectionism is not about being perfect.  We tend to think that perfectionists obsess over word choice or comma placement simply because of incredibly high standards, but it goes deeper than that.  In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown explains, “There’s a significant difference between perfectionism and healthy striving or striving for excellence. Perfectionism… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Tips for Genre Hopping with Ease

#5onFri: Five Tips for Genre Hopping with Ease

Genre hopping is a great way to introduce yourself and your writing style to a new audience.  If it is done incorrectly, it is a lot like a bad first impression. It will taint your future ventures and efforts with the audience.  I would know. When I first tried genre-hopping, I made a big mistake…. Read more »

#5onFri: Five Books to Kickstart 2022

#5onFri: ​​Five Books to Kickstart 2022

Happy January, word nerds! I hope that over the holidays you were able to spend some serious time curling up with a good book and beverage of your choice. Now that it’s 2022, it’s time for you to write the read which will compel your readers to do the same. Today I am recommending five… Read more »

freelance career

#5onFri: Five Degrees to Consider in Pursuit of a Freelance Career

Freelancing is a viable career option for individuals in a wide range of sectors. And the number of freelancers globally looks poised to grow in the foreseeable future.  A recent study indicated 58% of non-freelancers are considering a switch to freelancing. Furthermore, another study revealed 53% of freelancers said they believe they will experience greater… Read more »

consistent writing practice

#5onFri: Five Tips to Build a Consistent Writing Practice

Whether you’re a new year’s resolutioner or not, you can’t help but think about your 2022 writing goals this time of year. Maybe one of the things you’d like to achieve is a more consistent writing practice.  For too long, I felt like I didn’t have much control over my writing habits. I thought that… Read more »

book cover trends

#5onFri: Five Book Cover Trends from 2021

Despite the well-known saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” readers often shop with their eyes. Humans seem to be wired this way. “More than 50 percent of the cortex, the surface of the brain, is devoted to processing visual information,” points out Williams, the William G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics.  So,… Read more »

inner critic

#5onFri: Five Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic

Early in my writing career, I won second place for a short story, “When We Leave Here” in a contest sponsored by the Wyoming Writers Association.  Encouraged by that recognition, I submitted the first chapter of a novel I’d started to a published author at the conference. After being told “Never start a story with someone… Read more »