Plotting for pantsers … The plotters out there are laughing, the pantsers are gasping in horror. Trust me … it can be done! I’m a pantser with suspenders. No matter how many times I try to plot before starting a project, I freeze, can’t do it! My writing process is to tighten the suspenders and […]

One of the first things aspiring authors hear is a laundry list of things they should be doing to ensure success. If you somehow missed those directives, here are the “right things” you should be doing: Join a writing group. There are quite a few organizations out there to help writers at every stage in […]

We decided to have a bit of fun on this first day of September (right after hyperventilating that we're already in September) and issue a friendly 9-1 flavored writing challenge. Here’s how it works: Go to your work in progress or upcoming release or recent release. Pick the 9th paragraph of chapter 1 OR the […]

Over the last couple of months I’ve noticed something disturbing on Facebook—lots of my writer friends have been attending writing retreats. Why disturbing? Because I haven’t been able to go to any (cue violins). I read once that a writing retreat is to creativity, what a good nights sleep is to physical well-being. With the […]

@OrlyKonigLopez “Strong writing, great story, but I just didn’t love it.” Any writer who’s had a manuscript on submission with an agent and received a similar reply, knows that banging-head-on-table feeling. And haven’t we all whined back at the computer at some point, “But you liked it. Come onnnnnn”? How can an agent like your […]