When you want a dream so badly you can taste it, that goal can feel lightyears away.
These are the lessons I’ve learned to tackle challenges head-on and grow closer to living the life you want.
Read moreI've only gotten rejections. Should I give up?
I get the question regularly: How many rejections is too many? When do I stop submitting the story I wrote — or give up on writing entirely?
Let’s talk about why rejections are actually good, how to reframe them, and why you should hold onto any scrap of constructive feedback.
Read moreAnyone can be a creative writer (it's proven)
Creative writing can be about anything! Yay! Huzzah!
This is not a blog post about focusing your plot. This is a blog post about freedom.
Phew. A lofty statement, that one, am I right? But here’s the deal: So many of us (like, sooo many) sit down to write and are stricken by the belief that it must look a certain way. But it doesn’t!
Read moreDo I need an author website?
Wherever you are in your path to publication, at some point, you’ll wonder if creating an author website is a necessity.
TL;DR Sure, why not? :) Let’s talk about what to include on a writing website.
Read moreThe unfiltered truth about hustling
The struggle of working off one’s ass (as well as not ending in a preposition) with the sole purpose of more, more, more is, frankly, ugly to me. It didn’t used to be, but now, I’m not impressed by my past self. She seems easily influenced by what she thinks she should be doing instead of what she wants to be doing.
Read moreWhen you accidentally become your character
Popping in after nine months away to make two confessions about my writing life.
And P.S., can you still call it a writing life if you haven’t done much writing? Asking for a friend.
Read moreThe anti-ick guide to building your brand as a writer
What I really, really want this year is admittedly huge and will have the longest-lasting impact on my writing life: I want to define my writing brand and orient my work toward that end.
Before you ick out over the word "brand" when it's applied to a creative craft, let me share how I'm defining this: I want to figure out who I am as a writer, what my voice sounds like, the type of stories I want to tell, the messages I want to impart. Phew, that's a big one. But I think it's time.
Read moreHow to get back into writing after having a baby
You might have a new role as a parent, yet that doesn't mean you've lost the desire to create.
For Pete's sake, how can you make it work? Let's talk about how to get back into the creative writing routine while maintaining some grace (and sanity).
Read moreThe lowdown on self-publishing from 3 writers who've been there
Self-publishing is a way to gain readers for writers either immobilized by the traditional publishing process or thwarted by the constant rejection. There are benefits to self-publishing that go beyond cash money, though, and I picked the brains of three self-published authors to learn the ins and outs. Meet and learn from them here!
Read moreCan writing be — dare I say it — luxurious?
Writing needn't always be made out to be a nose-to-the-grindstone, make-it-or-break-it cram session. I have a few cheap-o tricks for making writing feel special and not rushed. Does it take away some of the grit? Sure. But I don't always want to write in the gutter. Sometimes I like nice hand lotion and a quiet space.
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