writing life
our free resources on all things writer and author life
Trusting Your Gut Instinct
As writers, we have to make choices constantly. From the big picture planning of what to include in a plot or character arc, to the pacing of chapters and scenes, all the [...]
Overcoming Perfectionism
We’re told that perfectionism is a good thing. We’re told it’s a trait to brag about when we’re in a job interview to showcase just how hardworking and detail-oriented we are. We’ve [...]
Healing From Burnout
Burnout sucks. It’s an unrelenting exhaustion that has you feeling completely zapped of energy. Your creativity, which has been running on fumes for miles, has officially petered out in the middle of [...]
Toxic positivity in your writing life
Toxic positivity is crippling your writing life. There's a belief becoming more pervasive in the writing community that you must always stay positive and never let anything negative affect you or [...]
Feedback should NEVER feel like this
You did it. You sent pages off to your writing group or critique partner or beta reader... and they finally responded. You're both terrified and excited to see what they thought. [...]
6 Tips for NaNoWriMo Success
It’s almost November which means it’s almost time for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo for short)! NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November (roughly [...]
How to Hire The Right Editor or Coach
Writers need outside eyes on our stories. External feedback will identify what we’re doing well, and where our stories need work. Working with a professional editor or book coach is one [...]
How to Plan a Magical Revision
You finished your first draft! That is a huge accomplishment. Do you know how many people in the world wish they could say that? Do you know how many unfinished [...]
Don’t Write Your Book Alone
A few years ago, I learned a hard lesson about writing alone. As an introvert, I tend to keep my words close to the chest until they feel “ready” to share [...]
Overcoming My Fear of the Blank Page
I have spent most of my years as a writer struggling with the blank page. I used to face horrible paralysis when I sat down to write new words. I would procrastinate. [...]
Can you be ambitious and anti-hustle?
Growing up, I was taught that being ambitious meant hustling. In my mind, hustling became synonymous to working hard. Ambitious meant you wanted to achieve big goals and accomplish big things. [...]
Is it worth making art when the world is falling apart?
As this article is being written, there’s so much going on— and has been going on—in the world. Meta illegally scraping books for AI, the end of the ceasefire in Palestine, and [...]
Writing What Matters: Starting with your “Why”
Writing a book is really difficult. It takes heart, energy, and lots of time. It's a process of personal creation that often takes deep courage to invite critique into, even when we [...]
Using reaction progressions to “show” on the page
Reaction progressions are a four part formula based on the natural order of how humans respond to stimuli. Using this chain of responses as a tool will help make it easier for you to “show” your character’s responses effectively and deepen the impact of your prose.
Tips For Getting Back Into Writing After a Break
We’ve all been there before. Something comes up in our life, we stop writing, and when we’re finally [...]
Finding Your Ideal Reader (and why it’s important!)
When you’re daydreaming about your book being in your readers’ hands, who do you envision holding it? Who [...]
