by Sienna Tristen It took me five years to write my debut novel, The Heretic’s Guide to Homecoming, and I credit it with both the total loss and the safeguarding of my sanity. It would be a different kind of writing, I knew from the start—slower, more introspective, more SocraticContinue Reading
How can you improve your writing life? After over 25 years as a full-time professional writer, I’ve learned some things about that. Whether you’re writing part- or full-time; fiction, nonfiction, or freelance; it doesn’t matter—the bottom line is you’re spending a lot of time using your creative brain, as wellContinue Reading
Note: Helen and Lorri are a mother/daughter writing team. How unique is that? I had to ask them how they make this unique writing relationship work. Below are their answers to my questions. —Colleen How did you both come to be writers? In other words, what were your individual journeysContinue Reading
Could your character traits really determine how well you succeed as a writer? According to recent research, they could. After following thousands of people over a period of decades, economist and researcher James Heckman and colleagues found that perseverance, good study habits, and the ability to collaborate were more importantContinue Reading
Need some inspiration for a new year of writing? It’s become a yearly tradition here on Writing and Wellness to gather some of the most inspirational, thought-provoking, and encouraging quotes from this years’ author features into one grand end-of-the-year post. If any of the quotes grab you and you wantContinue Reading
We like things to be clear. Unfortunately, they seldom are. In writing and in life, there are always gray areas. How should you market your book? It depends on the type of book, your audience, and the marketing tasks you enjoy. How should you structure your writing day? It dependsContinue Reading
~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ If you spend a lot of your time writing, you may have experienced a sense of loneliness at times. It can be a frightening feeling. You think something is wrong. You should get out more. You should spend more time with friends. It’s true that isolationContinue Reading
I typically publish my regular weekly blogs on Tuesdays. This week, that Tuesday just happens to land on my birthday, so I thought it might be fun to reflect on what I’ve learned over the last (ahem) few years. Not enough, probably, but I do have some things I’d likeContinue Reading
Lucky writers…it’s just not fair! I’ve heard many times in my writing career that it helps if you get lucky somewhere along the way. “So how do you become a bestselling author?” writer Rod Raglin asks. “You get lucky….success is less about talent and more about opportunity plus it’s greatlyContinue Reading
In honor of Independence Day, I thought it might be cool to reflect on the pros and cons of being an independent (or freelance) writer. I’ve been a professional writer for over 21 years, and an independent writer for 18. What I mean by that is I have my ownContinue Reading
Did you know that July 2nd is World UFO Day? World UFO Day is a day dedicated to UFOs (unidentified flying objects), and is usually celebrated with parties and sky-watching events. I’ve never seen a UFO myself, but I like listening to the stories about military pilots and others whoContinue Reading
Are you getting in the way of your own writing success? I recently learned that June fifth is “festival of popular delusions” day. To celebrate, the idea is to root out those delusions that may be holding you back, which can be a really useful thing for writers to do.Continue Reading