If We Don’t Take Ourselves Seriously, Who Will?

Why are writers so reluctant to take themselves seriously? This question has been on my mind a lot lately and it looks like I’m not the only one. One article I read this week answers that question of when to put “WRITER” on your business card (something I still struggle with), plus some other questions… Read more »

How to Blog: The Group Blog Edition

Often when writers seek ways to gain that extra edge in the market, they look to the Internet to reach out to their target audience.  One popular option is to create a blog.  ThinkingtoInking is the group blog that fellow writer/bloggers Lauren Monahan, Triona Murphy, Stacy Stokes and I created to share our journey and… Read more »

Business Writing: Two Important Lessons

It’s been a while since I’ve shown my face at DIY MFA, and that is because I have been full-time, honest-to-Zeus employed – as a writer. No, I’m not getting paid to spin tales of whimsy and fantasy (yet). I’m a content writer and editor for a small business in San Diego. Switching gears to business writing was… Read more »

How to Choose the Right Conference

One of my favorite things to do for DIY MFA is go to writing conferences. I love meeting other writers, connecting with industry professionals and learning new things about the business as well as the craft. These days, with so many writing conferences available, it can be tricky to figure out which ones you should… Read more »

Write It! Wednesday #3: Your Writing Superheroes

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 »

How to Present Yourself as a Writer

Once upon a time, writers could hide away in ivory towers and immerse themselves in their work, not worrying about what the world beyond those hallowed walls thought of their writing. No longer. Now writers must engage with the world at large and connect with their readers. This, of course, raises an important question for… Read more »

Branding Basics from ThrillerfFest

While at ThrillerFest I attended two panels about branding. How Do You Build a Thriller Brand? was headed up by Jaime Levine (Executive Editor, formerly with Grand Central Publishing) and included big names such as: agent Dan Conaway and authors Catherine Coulter, Joseph Finder, Lisa Gardner and John Sandford. (You can see them pictured in… Read more »