Common writing mistakes #4

#4 — Common misused words We type a word. It’s spelled correctly. Microsoft Word isn’t flagging it either. It sounds right too! But I love that Disney fairy tail doesn’t quite look right. It can get more complicated than that. There are long lists of words we think we know, but we don’t. Or we … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #4

How many books do you have to write to write a good one?

I've had that question for a while now. How many books do you have to write to write a good one? I knew some authors wrote one book, had a few drafts, and published a brilliant piece of work. Some wrote a few novels before one of theirs got published. Some writers told me that … Continue reading How many books do you have to write to write a good one?

How many rejections is too many?

A while back, I was on a live stream with Anna Akana when she did something that surprised me. Instead of saying "aw man" or so when I mentioned how many rejections I have gotten, she got excited. She said it was good for me. After the rejections made a mountain on my desk, they … Continue reading How many rejections is too many?

Writing a book is two jobs

A while back, Hank Green made a Vlogsbrothers video, talking about writing. He mentioned what Tommy Orange said when he saw him speak at the University of Montana. "At one point in the talk, he referred to himself as a kind of duality. There are times when he's a writer, and there are times when … Continue reading Writing a book is two jobs

Does editing make me a better writer?

People suggest writers to read more, but some also suggest editing. Does editing make writers better though? Besides helping with grammar mistakes though, how does editing improve a writer's skill? In a way, it helps me understand the publishing business more. When I was mainly a writer, I knew how the publishing industry worked, but … Continue reading Does editing make me a better writer?

Toughest of the tough

You'd think writing the novel was the hardest part. Or perhaps editing the novel was worse. But no. Queries always seem to be the hardest. They are the one thing I have never gotten a "this is amazing" from. I always get critiqued hard and have to start over again. I took a break from … Continue reading Toughest of the tough

What writing classes are like

I'm not sure anyone talks about college writing classes. Movies say we have our classes in auditoriums. Writing classes, also known as workshops, never have over eighteen people. I have one with twelve people right now. One time only six people showed up. On the first day, we introduce ourselves for almost seven minutes each. … Continue reading What writing classes are like

Ideas for the worst?

Sometimes there's only so much that editing can do to improve a story. After editing it over and over, it can seem as if it isn't going anywhere. This has happened with my stories...if I mention that the story's older. With my newer stories, everyone's always enthusiastic about me editing them again. It's always positive. … Continue reading Ideas for the worst?

Writing every day

Writing every day used to be an ideal, a goal. I thought I must be getting somewhere if I improved my skill every day. I had to be. How else was I going to get better? I'd write even if it wasn't good writing. To practice was to improve. It didn't matter what was on … Continue reading Writing every day