Ask Becca: Six Facts about Rejection

We are SO excited to announce a new, bi-monthly feature on DIY MFA — Ask Becca. Every other Friday, our very own Becca Jordan will be answering your questions about writing, reading and community.  Got a question? Tweet @beccaquibbles with the hashtag #askbecca. Or just leave a comment below! You might see it answered right here on… Read more »

Announcing the DIY MFA Weekend Writing Sprint!

November is almost here and with it comes pumpkin spice everything, splashy fall colors and a chance to show off the sweaters I knit over the summer. But even better November brings one of my favorite writing events of the year: NaNoWriMo. Full disclosure: I’ve never actually done NaNoWriMo, at least in a way that would qualify… Read more »

The Perks of Small Press Publishing

a.k.a. Genius is my debut middle grade novel, published by the small press Pauline Books and Media. Changing how you see yourself can be challenging. For nearly seven years I saw myself through one lens – as a mom. A full-time, stay-at-home-with-my-three-little-ones mom. I am also a published author. That’s still hard to say. And… Read more »

What I Learned About Connecting With Readers From Dan Blank

Dan Blank helps writers find and engage readers. He teaches online courses, workshops and does private consulting with authors and publishers. He has written several Writer’s Guides, all available on his website, on blogging, social media and email marketing.  You can find him at WeGrowMedia.com and on Twitter at @DanBlank When writers come to me asking… Read more »

CASA: Create a Writing Network that Feels Like Home

Welcome back to the DIY MFA video series designed to help you write more, write better, write smarter. Today you’ll hear about how you can create a writing network that will nurture and support your work. Video 2: Build Your Writing Network Today’s video is all creating that writing network, that safe haven that will… Read more »

Announcing New Community Resources at DIY MFA

It’s tempting to think of writing the way it used to be in days of old. You hide out in a cabin in the woods, pour your words onto the page and then *poof* you have a book. But the truth is that these days, you can’t go it alone. Writers need community. There are… Read more »

Introducing Lit Loft 2013

I am so excited to share this news on the website with you today! This has been in the works for months now and today finally enough of the pieces are in place that I can share details with you. Lit Loft 2013–a DIY MFA online event event–is officially a go. Watch the website because… Read more »

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 »

Surprises at Every Turn: ThrillerFest 2013

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending ThrillerFest, a fantastic event from International Thriller Writers (ITW). Like last year, the theme that tied together my ThrillerFest experience can be summed in three words: “Expect the unexpected.” You might assume an event put on by thriller writers would have an icy vibe. You might… Read more »