If you’ve ever listened to my podcast, DIY MFA Radio, you know that at the end of each interview, I would ask the same question: “What’s your #1 tip for writers?” As I was thinking of what to write for today’s newsletter, I asked myself that same question, and I came up with not one,… Read more »
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today’s episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 482 – Practice, Practice, Practice Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is… Read more »
I thought I’d go back to the basics and talk about how to DIY your MFA. If you’re here, reading this newsletter, I know you’re serious about your writing. This is true whether you just started on your writing journey or you’ve been at it for some time. I know this because DIY MFA attracts… Read more »
Some years ago, I developed a framework that I dubbed the “Storytelling Superpower.” This framework is designed to help you figure out what character archetype you are writing, so you can create a story that is most likely to resonate and be compatible with that character. To figure out your character’s archetype, you must take… Read more »
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about writing-life balance, and what it looks like to live an author life. This topic has been on my mind because I’ve been secretly working on a new project for DIY MFA. This project is a free event that we’re planning for this Fall where I’m interviewing a bunch… Read more »
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today’s episode kicks off our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 1 – Jump First, Build After. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet?… Read more »
Writing a book is like making a contract with our readers. We agree to craft a great story and our readers in turn agree to suspend their disbelief and keep turning pages. Furthermore, I believe that at the start of every book, we must make five promises to our readers. These promises are not hard-and-fast… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing MT Anderson. We’ll be talking about his book, Elf Dog and Owl Head, and raising your story’s stakes. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA. You’ll learn more about how… Read more »
Young adult fiction is becoming a more popular category than ever—stemming back to the 1960s with the publication of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, marketed specifically for young adults. In more recent years, the genre has blossomed with bestselling books like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Twilight by Stephenie… Read more »
My novel, The Miraculous Flight of Owen Leach, was published by Apprentice House Press in April 2022. I didn’t necessarily think I’d land with a small press, but I’m not sorry I did. I signed with an agent just before I finished my MFA program. She spent the next couple of years trying to sell… Read more »
