Archive for February 2024
Is There a “Correct” Method for Writing?
Do you pants? Outline? Write in the morning? Evening? Spin around three times religiously before sitting down at your keyboard or grabbing a pen? If you were to believe everything you see on social media or the broader Internet, you might think that somewhere in what writers do, there’s a golden-ticket method. If you can…
Read More4 Easy Ways to Write a Better Plot
Story lacking that certain I-don’t-know-what? This video gives a few quick tips to write a better plot. Panster? Plotter? The tips can work for both When I created this, I tried to keep in mind we’ve got both pansters and plotters in the house. These suggestions are broad enough to work for people in both…
Read MoreStory Updates: Yay or Nay?
What do you all think about story “updates?” Are we trying to fix what’s not broken? Or do we sometimes need updates to make the stories resonate? What story do you say “hands off” to (if any)? I don’t question that updates might make some stories easier to understand. I mean, it’s a little easier…
Read MoreIs Writing Just a Gateway for Real Work?
Is writing just a gateway for “real” work? It would seem so, if you listen to industry experts now. I am NOT a fan of the idea that writers have to wear 8,000 hats to make money, all while their words get devalued. Rebel with me by showing your agreement with this video by leaving…
Read MoreCan You Make a Living as a Writer?
Earlier today, I came across an article in Forbes by MeiMei Fox that highlighted opinions on writing from four professionals in the industry. The question at hand: Can you make a living as a writer? And I have to be blunt. The answers these professionals gave shouldn’t discourage anyone from the calling of writing, but…
Read MoreWhat Motivates You to Write? The Craft or Glory?
In this article, author Shelly Sanders talks about the takeaways gleaned through her publishing journey. I’ll start by offering a heartfelt Kudos to Sanders. We all know it’s not easy, and she put in the effort. But I do wonder, reading this, if the effort was for the glory and not the craft…? What’s your…
Read MoreIs It OK for a First Draft to Be Crappy?
It’s OK if your first draft sucks. But in this video, I stress the importance of striving for the best you can do in the moment every time you sit down to write. Why half-arse your sessions?! The idea here is that, if you go into a writing session determined not to half-arse it, that’s…
Read MoreWhy Every Writer Needs the Cloud
Two weeks ago, I succeeded in doing something I’d never done as a writer: I bricked my laptop. The technology angel choir sang a lament of death. The cloud, however, saved me. The laptop I killed, to be fair, had had Windows 11 issues from the very beginning. But it was less than a year…
Read MoreCrappy Drafts? Get Them to the Right People
I have so many piles of crappy drafts, lol. What’s your count? May this be encouragement that whether your work is “good” or “bad” depends a lot on perspective. Different people, different perspectives The point I want to make within that is that it is absolutely critical to get your work in front of the…
Read MoreA Writer’s Just a Unicorn. Here’s Why
Above my desk, I have a poster of a unicorn. But it’s not just any unicorn. It’s a unicorn on a therapist’s couch. The therapist, seated in a chair to the side, gives one line of advice: “You need to believe in yourself.” You sparkle more than you realize On the one hand, I have…
Read More