Five years ago, if someone told me, “You will translate Romanian poetry into English,” I’d have said, “Who? Me?! You’re crazy.” Sadly, I speak only one language – English – fluently. But life and opportunity will forever have their way. Let me tell you a story. In high school, I was a serious student with… Read more »
Mentoring has become a hot topic in the kidlit community. It seems like every few months a new program to match aspiring authors with established ones is announced. Why the desire for such programs? What are the benefits, and what should you look for in a mentor? Mentorship can accelerate a writer’s growth and open… Read more »
Hello and thank you for tuning in! Today we’re going to talk about 5 common supporting character archetypes. But first, I want to remind you to sign up for the DIY MFA email list, so you can receive my mostly weekly updates as well as all the wonderful tips and information I have to share… Read more »
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing superheroes, those people who have shown me what it really means to be a writer. What I’ve realized is that in writing (as it is with most heroic feats) it’s not always the people you think of as heroes that end up saving the day. More… Read more »
Sooner or later, you’re going to get feedback on your work. Whether it’s from an editor or agent, or from friends and family, or from trusted writer friends, you might as well get used to the idea. But what do you do when you get all that feedback? My temptation is often to cut up… Read more »
When it comes to getting a tune-up on your writing, you have lots of different options. In fact, sometimes the sheer number of choices can be overwhelming and it’s hard to recognize what kind of help or feedback you really need. In this post, you’ll get to know some of the choices so you can… Read more »
