The Writing Blog
Write books. Edit books. Publish books. Market books. Read books. Everything bookish is right here, friends.
what does it mean to be an author?
Does it mean you have a six-figure contract with Simon and Schuster? Does it mean you’ve got 500k followers on Twitter? What about so many bags of fan mail in your PO Box that you have to hire someone to read it for you?
It can mean that, but it doesn’t have to.
Let me tell you now: YOU. ARE. WORTHY.
The articles here were created with the deepest love for you, magical writer, to help you grow from where you are to where you want to be. What does your writing look like right now? Are you…
- Frustrated with how little writing you get done day-to-day?
- Angry at yourself for not doing this thing as fast as you “should”?
- Ashamed to share your work with people you know because it might be “bad”?
- Just plain tired, overwhelmed, and stuck with too many disparate ideas and no finished novel?
You’re in the right place. Make a cup of tea and take a deep breath. We will turn your writing life into gold.
[editor's choice] great places to start
[writing & editing]
How to find your novel’s Central Dramatic Question
The Central Dramatic Question of a story is the driving force behind that story. Without it, there is no force, and there are no turning pages. In general terms, the Central Dramatic Question provides a clear goal for the protagonist and sets up the stakes for the story, but what is it, really?
What if all you needed to finish writing your book was a blueprint?
Organize all your messy novel writing ideas into a comprehensive, comprehensible blueprint that you can write from with ease and enthusiasm. The Fiction Writing Blueprint is the last tool you’ll ever need for planning, organizing, and writing your novel. Seriously.
ProWritingAid Review: All the problems I’ve had with ProWritingAid & why I still love it
I’ve used ProWritingAid for a little over a year now. I loved it so much when I tried it that I got the lifetime license and haven’t regretted it. ProWritingAid helped me edit two stories for flash fiction contests, including my Avalon!verse prequel, Witch Soup. I thought I’d never find a “con” for PWA, but I just did. Here’s my honest take on ProWritingAid.
Why Your Book Needs a Manuscript Critique
Critiques. Every new writer’s worst fear—and many veterans, too! Your work WILL be critiqued by readers. Do it on your terms with a manuscript critique.
How to Create Better Writing Habits… the Smart Way!
Have you ever actually been asked what your biggest weakness was in a job interview? It’s the urban legend of interview questions that, unfortunately, is actually real. How did you answer it? I care too much? Or maybe Sometimes I’m too detail-focused? And then you quickly made up a story of how you once weakened that … How to break a bad writing habit… the Ravenclaw way! {Alchemy Lab Experiment!}
The ultimate guide to quickly & easily outlining your novel
Are you a plotter or a pantser? One of the most common reasons writer give up on outlining is that it feels difficult and confusing. Outlining is important and it doesn’t have to be painful. Here’s the ultimate guide to EASY novel outlining.
