Alone, We Stand Together: Lessons From ThrillerFest

At ThrillerFest, as with all writing conferences, you go into each session with a set of expectations. Most of the day consists of listening to panels on certain topics, and then interviews.  Over the course of the day, I heard discussions on everything from reading and editing to villains and violence, from debut authors and… Read more »

The Rewrite Rules!

In April of 2011, I hit a wall in my book. This was not a “I need a break” or “I’m tired” or “this is hard” wall. Writers don’t get breaks. We’re always tired. And writing is never not hard. This was a “this is not working” wall. There was a fundamental flaw in my… Read more »

Goal-Keeping from the Greats

Lately at DIY MFA, we’ve been talking about goal-setting. Now, I’m going to round out the week with a bit of goal-keeping. Writing can sometimes feel a lot like goal-tending in a hockey game. Ken Dryden – former goalie for the Montreal Canadiens – said, “Because the demands on the goalies are mostly mental, for… Read more »