New Year’s Book Tag

I did this book tag last year, and I thought I'd do it again since it was fun. Hope you enjoy it! How many books are you planning to read in 2023? Thirty-five! I already have two down. I usually read between thirty-seven to forty books a year, not including books I edit and beta … Continue reading New Year’s Book Tag

Common writing mistakes #10

#10 — Adding too many details with commas Lately, I've had a few authors use commas to add detail after detail onto a sentence. But they don't realize how jam-packed the sentence becomes. Here are two fictional examples: Laurence came through the door, looking for answers, looking for something to turn his path around, and … Continue reading Common writing mistakes #10

A writer’s journey (part eight) – blogging, more research, and twitter

It has been a while since I’ve written one of these. I’ve been meaning to, but my busy schedule took control for a little bit. I have three topics in the title, because I’ve seen the most growth in these areas. Let’s go one by one. Blogging As I mentioned here before, my blog has … Continue reading A writer’s journey (part eight) – blogging, more research, and twitter

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

20 Questions Book Tag

Hey everyone!   Since the last book tag went well, I decided to do another! I found this one on abooknation's blog, and it seems fun and unique. So, here we go! 1. How many books are too many in a series? Depends on the series.   For example, The Mortal Instruments was well written … Continue reading 20 Questions Book Tag

More time to write

Take a deep breath. Breathe. Really. It's time to think for a moment. When was the last time you spent hours focusing on your craft? How many hours do you spend on writing? How many hours do you wish you spent on writing? Sometimes it's good to take a step back and reevaluate. How much … Continue reading More time to write

Is having too many projects bad?

I might work on too many projects. I have a novel and a novella in progress, editing away. I also edit on different critique sites like Critique Circle. I edit my query, and I also edit other queries so they may glance over mine. I'm trying to write more to get a small publication as well. … Continue reading Is having too many projects bad?

11 editing tips from a professional

At the ACES conference, one session had many editing tips for editors and writers. Here are some: Check all quotations (to see if it is a verified source) Don't ignore your inner voice (when it says something's wrong) Omit needless words Favor active voice (because we need passive voice sometimes) Edit out loud Advice is … Continue reading 11 editing tips from a professional