Writers love to talk about their books, their friends’s books, trends in the publishing industry, and our endless anxieties about writing. But our poor families can only take so much of this at the dinner table. My advice to every writer is to assemble a team of key friends who can handle your obsession, help… Read more »
I was finally on my way! I had started my Young Adult (YA) Fantasy novel over 20 years earlier, building the world, the characters, and the story in fits and starts on vacations or in between life’s daily demands, mostly surrendering to my reality. Then in July of 2019, I retired and I promised myself… Read more »
A writers conference is a magical, wonderful event. Writers conferences put you in contact with authors, agents, publishers, editors, and, of course, other writers like you. Then there are all of the classes and panels to teach you new skills or help you hone the ones you have. Even these days, where most conferences are… Read more »
They say writing is a lonely art. For us, it’s exactly the opposite. Over the past five years, whenever either of us has mentioned that we were co-writing a novel, the questions volleyed back at us have been consistent—and consistently skeptical: How in the world does that work? Do you divide up the writing? Does… Read more »
Call them what you will. Nonwriters, Muggles, Philistines. Just kidding. We know them. We love them. They’re our parents, our friends, our partners and significant others. They’re the people in our lives with whom we share everything. But sometimes we aren’t always sure how to share this one thing with nonwriters. You know, one of… Read more »
It is fascinating how past experiences culminate into the present, creating beliefs. Taking part in critique was, at times, akin to a battlefield. The gauntlet was daunting and sometimes painful. In academia, I developed shied away from peer critique and moved toward mentors and professionals for feedback after much proactive work on my part. As… Read more »
Writing can be a bit lonely. We stare at our computer screens all day, interacting with imaginary people who can feel more real than the people around us. This makes writing friends invaluable. Not only do they understand the process, but they can help us out along the way—as critique partners, brainstorming buddies, or just… Read more »
I can credit my local writing group with a lot of things: Teaching me craft, encouraging me to write, critiquing my work, and convincing me to pitch my book. And now, I don’t think it’s too much to credit them with also getting me an agent. Yes, I wrote the book. Yes, I edited it… Read more »
The concept of writing buddies is kind of strange if you think about it. Last year, several of my writing friends and I checked in a hotel for President’s Day. We went to Jersey, where we knew we were guaranteed bad weather and unfriendly locals. While the rest of the country was sleeping in and… Read more »
Creating Youtube videos is one of the most effective ways for a writer to enhance his or her community. First, we’re going to look at what groups make up our writing community, what we give them, what we gain from them, and most importantly, what we should not expect to get from them. Then, we’ll… Read more »
