How to Recapture the Joy in Your Writing

How to Recapture the Joy in Your Writing

I didn’t start writing because I wanted to make a bestseller list or sell a million copies. I started writing because it was fun. It brought joy. As a child, I delighted in telling myself stories. I loved imagining secret worlds no one else could see. I got a kick out of creating plot twists… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Ways the Vagus Nerve Helps Writers Focus

#5onFri: Five Ways the Vagus Nerve Helps Writers Focus

More often than not, I look forward to my morning “Writer’s Block”—what I call that time of day where I give myself permission to write, weave, and create in my little square office. Upon stepping into this space, I approach my WIP in one of two ways: either with fear or with ease. Care to… Read more »

All about Picture Books

All about Picture Books

Hello! Welcome back to the kid lit craft column. I’ve decided to do a series on all the different types of kid lit! That’s right! We are going to be covering everything from picture books to middle grade and in between! Today, we are tackling picture books!  Now, I’m sure we are all familiar with… Read more »

Start with a Small Step

Start with a Small Step

Once you have a clear goal in mind, the next moment can be perilous. You might hear a small voice telling you to start with a small step, but often our enthusiasm overwhelms us. All of the ways that you can make your goal happen crowd into your brain like partygoers stuffed into a small… Read more »

Tales of a Solopreneur

Tales of a Solopreneur

As I write this post in early 2022, I’ve closed out my 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical (“VWS”) and started fresh. I mentioned in my Discovering the Art of Book Coaching post in December that my 2022 VWS would include focusing on completing a book coach certification program and starting a book coaching business. I’m at… Read more »

Draft Day, or Learning to Celebrate Your Manuscript

Draft Day, or Learning to Celebrate Your Manuscript

Last summer, on a hectic day before a month-long vacation, I went to the print shop for my final errand. I’d spent the past ten months working on the second draft of my latest novel—submitting chapters to my writing group, fixing the clunky narrative arc, and generally solidifying my sketchy first pass. Now the dogged… Read more »

Going from Preparing to Write to Actually Writing

Going from Preparing to Write to Actually Writing

Hey, y’all. I come before you today, standing at the precipice of possibility. The place where inertia becomes action. The moment where I engage in the act of sitting down and actually writing.  This winter, I invested in a masterclass program that walked me through the process of taking an idea, creating a high-level outline,… Read more »