I haven’t done a WIP update in a while, probably because I’ve been a tiny bit schizophrenic with my current writing projects. I’ve started four–FOUR!–projects in the past couple of months. My brain doesn’t seem to want to settle down on anything. The problem is that I often jump into writing new ideas, only to [...]
I don’t know about you, but one of the hardest things for me to do is go from revising and polishing one project to starting a new one from scratch. Jumping from final draft to first draft can be torture. Even if I’m excited about the characters and the concept, the writing just feels so [...]
Not too long ago, someone (I can’t remember who!) linked to Joe Konrath’s post on marketing. At the end of his post, Konrath listed several inspiring quotes on writing. Many of them rang true for me, including: “Hard work trumps talent. Persistence trumps inspiration. Humility trumps ego.” But there was one quote that didn’t sit quite [...]
I’ve been realizing lately that writing has been slipping lower and lower on my list of priorities. There are so many other things vying for my attention that writing can feel like a luxury. But for me to feel like a writer, I need to be writing, which can be tricky when time is limited. [...]
I’m away at a writing retreat, but here’s an older post you might enjoy: Rejection is a natural part of trying to get your writing published, but that doesn’t make it any easier. We’re always told not to take rejection personally, but it’s almost impossible not to when the project you’ve been working on for [...]
When I was young, I couldn’t get enough of stories set in space. Whether they were on spaceships, space stations, or other planets, those stories really got my imagination going. Because of that, I’ve been wanting to write a story that involved space travel for years now, but I never had quite the right idea. [...]
As hard as it can be sometimes, writing shouldn’t be torture. That’s not to say it’s easy. There will be times when you’re frustrated and just want to give up. But ultimately, there should be something about the project that excites you, something that keeps you going. If you’ve lost that sense of excitement, take [...]
I’ve been reading a really great book (whose identity I will conceal for now), one with a fascinating premise and interesting characters. It’s one of those books that I can’t wait to get back to. However, it’s a very thick book, and as I’m reading, I can’t help thinking that it doesn’t need to be [...]
Everything was going great with my new WIP, until…I came across this eye-opening post on YA cliches. Number 10 on the list (protagonist argues with only friend and winds up alone) is definitely in my WIP. Doh! I started to panic. Had I really written something so cliched and not even realized it? For years [...]
Last week, I woke up from a nightmare with an idea for a story. When I sat down to brainstorm, I realized that what I had was a short story instead of a novel. How did I know? Because when I thought more about it, what came across was a strong feeling and a few [...]
