I’ve been putting off writing this column. I love getting to check in each month and talk about books, but the practice of keeping track of what books I’ve picked up in a given month and then deciding which ones to share (I mean, how much of a particular book do I need to read… 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 »
National Novel Writing Month (#NaNoWriMo) is in a few days, and many of us are still scrambling around, trying to complete our plans before November 1. Some #NaNoWriMo participants are feeling particularly confident right now. Maybe they spent the last few months plotting. Maybe they’re excited about pansting their next work. Regardless of the reason… Read more »
It’s Fall! And for most people, that means Pumpkin Spice Lattes, sweaters, Chai Tea and crunching leaves. But for writers, it also means November–or, more specifically, NaNoWriMo–is just around the corner. In November, thousands of writers take a pledge to write 50,000 words on a book. It’s a fantastic exercise that can yield all kinds… Read more »
-Are you doing NaNoWriMo? -Huh? -You know, NaNo? -Who? -You’re not a WriMo yet?! -Did you just call me a ‘rhino’? It’s not a secret code or a reference to rhinos or even atomic particles. It’s National Novel Writing Month, and the challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November is about as… Read more »
Conquer the Craft in 29 Days (#CTC29) is off to a fantastic start! Already we have over 500 writers participating in this DIY MFA writing challenge, and Twitter is a-buzz with people sharing updates and progress. I’ve had a few people email me with questions and I’ve noticed a few that have come up again… Read more »
Our new writing challenge Conquer the Craft in 29 Days (#CTC29) starts today. During this challenge, writers do one prompt per day for 29 days. I’ve handpicked the prompts so that they cover all the important topics in the craft of fiction and structured the challenge so that by the end of 29 days, writers will… Read more »
Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed we’ve had a bit of a recurring theme on the DIY MFA site — Writing Challenges. Becca gave us 29 reasons to do a writing challenge, Melinda talked about what a writing challenge is (and isn’t!), and I wrote about how a writing challenge can help you. Just in case we… Read more »
“I only like to write when the muse moves me, but I’m having trouble getting the motivation to finish something. Help!” –Bemused You know what you need? A good ol’ fashioned dunk in an icy lake! Just kidding. But it’s 95 degrees here and I’m a little delirious with the heat. Writing challenges are popular in… Read more »
You didn’t hear back from the agent. Perhaps the editor rejected you. You may be asking, “What the heck?” Firstly, congratulations on putting yourself out there. Now, here’s something to take on: Look beyond the anger, the embarrassment or the frustration. What is there for you? Consider that a rejection or a lack of response is a… Read more »
