Pantsing or Outlining: Which Is Better?
Pop quiz: Is pantsing or outlining better when writing? Pantsing is great because... Initially, I fell into the winging-it or pantsing camp. That approach allowed me to write freely with very little constraint whenever I...
Where New Writers Should Write for Free
Writers long have operated under the belief that they might need to write for free for a while to establish some credibility and earn bylines. But is this still the case? Should you, in fact,...
Why Classifying Books By Genre Needs to Die
If you go to agent or publisher websites, a common call is for writers to create something entirely fresh, something that doesn’t fit the usual molds. But even with those statements, I’m not at all...
Your Unfinished Writing: Please Don’t Trash It
When I was back in college, I worked at the writing center for the university. Some nights, it would be ungodly slow, and there would be long lulls between helping students with their work. On...
Why Standup Comedians Are the Best Writing Teachers Ever
Image via Canva For a while now, I’ve been indulging in watching standup comedians online during my teeny bits of free time. (Netflix specials are fun, as are the late-night shows.) If you’re a writer...
Why “Be Patient” Is Crappy Advice for Writers
One of the quirks of being a writer is that you often have to wait weeks or even months to get a response back from editors or their assistants. This isn’t all their fault. Many...
Pay-to-Read Websites Stink. Here’s Why
I bet you’ve done it--click on a link to a site like The New York Times or Medium, only to have it tell you in a classic pay-to-read setup that you need to buy a subscription to keep...
How Writing Can Heal and Change You
Image created by Wanda Thibodeaux on Canva Most writers say that writing helps them manage anxiety, practice gratitude or thankfulness, and express themselves in a way they otherwise wouldn’t be able or know how to...
