Are you signing up to win NaNoWriMo this year? It’s a big challenge—write 50,000 words before November comes to an end. There are a lot of tips out there to help you rise to the challenge, but there’s one thing more than any other that will determine whether you succeed:Continue Reading
by Sheree K. Nielsen Being around water and nature inspired my poetry and photography collection, Mondays in October. My heart has always been drawn to the ocean and lakes, and you’ll find those references in the majority of the poems. I create best when I’m near water. It’s so easyContinue Reading
If you love Halloween, you may be looking for ways to celebrate. In addition to dressing up, checking out the corn mazes and haunted houses, and taking the kids trick or treating, you may also want to consider treating yourself. After all, we writers work hard, right? So just forContinue Reading
by Nan Sanders Pokerwinski The memoir Mango Rash centers on one pivotal year in my life, when I lived on a tropical island as a teenager. That one year made such an impression on me and left me with such a sense of longing, I could never get it outContinue Reading
Talk to any writer, and you’ll hear stories of fear. “We’re all scared,” writes historical romance author, Brandy Vallance. “Let’s just start there. No matter what stage of writing you find yourself in, fear is the constant adversary that will track your every move and hunt you down….As a writer,Continue Reading
by Susan L. Urasky Writing with emotion is what I was taught. Scenes that are well-written include character’s emotions that touch the reader viscerally. My biggest challenge was unexpected. I wasn’t prepared for the aftermath after layering strong feelings and emotions that came from deep within myself. I created specificContinue Reading
Writers often feel powerless. We must compete in an increasingly saturated marketplace, and the challenges of marketing our work and building strong platforms can often feel overwhelming as we try to maintain regular writing routines. After coming up against a defeat or two—which is bound to happen—we can start toContinue Reading
by Tabitha Vedder I’m in my twenties, and I’m not an invalid. I know every job has occupational hazards, but I still think it’s crazy how many ways you can injure yourself accidentally just by sitting in front of a computer. And I’m not even talking about mental health here—that’sContinue Reading
If you’ve been a writer for any time at all, you’ve suffered from a painful experience. Perhaps several. You’ve had your work rejected. You’ve gotten a bad review (or two). You’ve had your story ignored by agents, editors, and contest judges. You’ve heard from your family that you’re wasting yourContinue Reading
My biggest challenge? TIME! I’m married to a world traveler and it’s difficult for me to carve out blocks of time to write, edit for friends, and read. Although, I do take books with me on all of my trips and voyages. I’m not a Kindle user—I’m an old dinosaur,Continue Reading
Do you wish you could get more writing done in a day? In our super-competitive world, it’s pretty clear that the more writing you can produce, the better your chances of enjoying a successful writing career. It’s sort of like the more exercise you do, the stronger your muscles willContinue Reading
I’m not sure if perfectionism is the biggest emotional challenge to being a writer, but it ranks in the top ten. Perfectionism and its evil step-sisters—judgment, comparison, envy, and self-doub—all have the power to do me in if I let them. Based on my unrealistic perfectionist writer ideals, I sufferContinue Reading