In 2015, I wandered into a tarot reader’s shop in NOLA’s French Quarter, curious about my first reading. I’d barely heard of tarot cards but figured this was a thing one did as a tourist in New Orleans. The scent of incense followed me through the storefront and down a hall to a private room… Read more »
A well-written story is a well-paced story. It is in the rhythm and flow of events that readers find themselves on a heart-thumping adventure with the characters. And there are only a few stories that occur during an uninterrupted, brief period. Most, however, are spaced out in a span of days, weeks, months, or years…. Read more »
What is it about a book that compels readers to stay up far later than they should on a weeknight? What makes a story a so-called page turner? Unputdownable. Why is it we have trouble getting to the end of one book, yet we fly through another? The answers have a lot to do with… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Meg LaTorre. Meg LaTorre is a sci-fi/fantasy author, YouTube darling, and founder of iWriterly. She is also the creator of the free query critique platform, Query Hack, co-host of the Publishable show, and blogger for websites: Writer’s Digest, Savvy Authors, Writers Helping Writers, and so forth. Formerly, she… Read more »
In my previous article, I took you through the steps of starting a daily routine that will help you become more aware of yourself and your Writer’s Intuition. I want to tell you a secret about my own experience with this exercise. When I first started, I had a grand plan of taking my daily… Read more »
There’s no one way to plot a romance. Everyone has their own system of structuring. Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes is a popular one many romance writers swear by. I’m not great at following anyone else’s mold. The way I work is making things up for myself, and finding the way I need to… Read more »
Hey word-nerd! Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m so excited to host Stuart Horwitz on the show. Stuart is someone who is as excited about connecting with writers and helping them reach their goals as I am. We’ll be talking about planning your novel and how to plot without a formula…. Read more »
This is the fourth post in my series on the benefits of writing with an outline. In my first post, I listed three reasons why most writers need an outline. In the second, I discussed three things to keep in mind when creating an outline. In the third, I talked about how to use one while drafting. In this… Read more »
This is the third post in my series on the benefits and practicality of writing with an outline. In my first post, I listed three reasons why most writers need an outline. In the second, I discussed three things to keep in mind when creating an outline. Now, what do you do now that you actually… Read more »
I think we all have a romantic notion of the author springing from his bed, crying “Eureka!” and scribbling furiously some wonderful new idea that has just been beamed into his head like an alien. I like this idea. I like to exploit this idea. I carry around a Moleksine notebook. Who doesn’t, these days?… Read more »
