[Part of this post was originally published in January 2014 here and another part of it was originally published in April 2017 here.] The new year always makes me want to reevaluate my creative process and push myself to become a more productive writer. This year is no different. As I’ve been thinking about creativity,… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Charlie Jane Anders. Charlie Jane is the author of the essay collection Never Say You Can’t Survive along with the short story collection Even Greater Mistakes. Her other books include The City in the Middle of the Night and All the Birds in the Sky. Her fiction and… Read more »
About a month ago, one of my college writer friends and I were FaceTiming each other, and in between trying to catch up while handing out sippy cups and building Lego with our toddlers, he shared with me a bit of advice he gleaned from a podcast: you need to know when to be finished… Read more »
I’ve heard a lot of talk lately on “passive protagonists” and it got me thinking about how this plays into the world of historical fiction. I’m drawn to brave, almost heroic women from the past, and isn’t that what everyone wants, a protagonist with agency? Let’s break down how to examine HERstory in a way… Read more »
The end of the year is filled with stockpiles of sweets, long lines at the grocery store, and a constant reminder that the clock is ticking on your goals—like where you wanted to be with your manuscript. Even if you’ve boycotted the holidays like Chandler Bing with his Thanksgiving grilled cheese and Frank Costanza with… Read more »
This is the final installment of my 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical (“VWS”) series and today we are focusing on book coaching. If you are new to the VWS, it’s a build your own virtual writing craft adventure where you focus on you and your writing craft and identify specific writing goals that you will chip… Read more »
It’s just one of those things you hear, like “the best way to get over someone is to meet someone new” or “expect the best but prepare for the worst.” Either way, the one piece of advice all my writer friends gave me as my debut novel went to print was, “Start working on a… Read more »
Early in my writing career, I won second place for a short story, “When We Leave Here” in a contest sponsored by the Wyoming Writers Association. Encouraged by that recognition, I submitted the first chapter of a novel I’d started to a published author at the conference. After being told “Never start a story with someone… Read more »
Unfortunately, this will be my last post with DIY MFA. While I am sad to end this chapter, I hope what comes next is a bright future. And I hope that for all of you too. The last two years have been hard. Not to understate it, there just aren’t proper words to cover the… Read more »
The thought of writing love scenes sends many authors running for the hills, but love scenes are my favorite scenes to write. It’s a chance for two characters who have spent a good chunk of the story pining for each other and bantering to take things to the next level physically. Here are five tips… Read more »
