Over the past few years of reading about writing, taking courses, and a mentorship, and actually writing, I’ve been given a ton of advice…about writing. Here are the most useful tips I’ve received so far. I really wish I could attribute more than one of these, but I’ve heard them from so many sources it
This morning I found myself thinking about titles in the book industry. When are you a writer? When are you an author? Are you a writer when you decide you are? Are you an author once you self-publish or once someone decides to publish your work for you? I admit I have less trouble with
I would love to complete a MFA (Master of Fine Arts). I’ve heard both the good and the bad about aspiring writers pursuing an MFA, but that hasn’t dissuaded me. What has dissuaded me is the cost and the time. I was recently chatting with a writing friend who is working away at her MFA. I was lamenting about how now is
Have you ever sought out feedback on your writing? While asking for feedback can be scary, in my experience, it’s almost always helpful, especially if you get feedback from the right person. Getting feedback is one of the fastest ways to improve your writing. It’s amazing how much we can’t see in our own writing.
Writing can be a lonely pursuit. The nature of the job means that writers spend a fair bit of time alone with a notebook or a keyboard, slinging words onto the page. I usually find myself hoping that what I’m writing is ‘good,’ or at the very least, getting better, but I’m never sure; it’s
Do you have trouble balancing your writing life, your online social life and your regular, everyday life? Do you ever find yourself wondering how you are going to get everything done and still get enough sleep to function without vats of coffee? I certainly do! Last week I confessed that my biggest challenge as a
Recently I met with a writing friend for coffee, and we got to talking about life as a writer online. Being a writer these days often means also mastering various online forms of communication: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, e-mail marketing (and more) AND being a good writer. It’s not to say there weren’t challenges for writers
Over the past year or so I’ve amassed an alarmingly large collection of books about the writing craft, all in the name of improving my skills. I justify this by a) reading the blurbs on these books from established authors who swear by them and b) reminding myself that to improve, you need to learn
When I first started taking my writing seriously (and had yet to be rejected), I thought of rejection as something slightly romantic, something that would make me a real writer. I imagined myself papering my office walls with rejection letters, and later looking back on my days of being rejected with fondness. I now realize