To writers who fear the first draft

Dear writers who are afraid of the first draft, It's all right. As cliché as it might sound, we've all been there with a blank page hovering in front of us. Uneven plot lines. Characters with blue eyes one page and brown eyes twenty pages later. Ideas swarm around in our heads, but none make … Continue reading To writers who fear the first draft

15 questions to build stronger characters

Strong characters—main and side characters—can bring your story to life. They're hard to write but worth it to help readers stay immersed in your story. Here are fifteen questions to help build your characters: What is the second thing your character wants the most?What social media would be your character's favorite? How would they use … Continue reading 15 questions to build stronger characters

NaNoWriMo in February?

Have you ever thought about doing NaNoWriMo during another month? Or even choosing your own month for it? (NaNoWriMo, if you don't know, stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's when writers get together to write a novel—or 50,000 words—in November.) NaNoWriMo is at the start of a busy season itself. Especially when I worked … Continue reading NaNoWriMo in February?

Gifts for the winter

Most years, writers get the same blank journals as gifts. But some writers only write on notepads or laptops. Their stash of blank journals get higher. This year, gifts are getting an upgrade. Here's a list of some great gifts for writers: 1) Notepads for a shower As I mentioned before, ideas come in the shower. … Continue reading Gifts for the winter

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

Your rejection

The first time I realized something is wrong with me— No. Hold up. Is it wrong of me to say that? When you break me into pieces over something I created, can I— No. I’ll start over. Reset. Words on pages have always been my passion. No matter if I write it or not, it’s … Continue reading Your rejection

Powerful small words

My mind buzzed over and over in a spiral. Lately, nothing had gone right in the writing world. My blog was floating above the water. I hadn't been able to work on my novel or short stories in a while. My critics gave me the same reply: "good but not good enough." Because writers could … Continue reading Powerful small words

Writing nothing

Do you ever feel like you want to write but can’t? You stare at the screen for ten minutes before you decide, “Well, this isn’t going anywhere.” You look up what other people wrote online, but your mind says something like: “I can’t copy what she wrote. But would people notice if we wrote about … Continue reading Writing nothing

A writer’s journey (part five) – small publications

Eventually the editing has to stop, right? All the hours to days to months to years of editing that one certain story cannot keep going on. It's difficult to stop. It's more difficult to get your stories out there and known, however. Many literary agents love to accept writers that already have a name for … Continue reading A writer’s journey (part five) – small publications

Oh. You want the truth?

Oh. You want the truth? It’s a bit messy. It’s the joke your friends make that you laugh off. It’s the smiles and tears that come when someone finally sees the end. It’s the hours upon hours of sitting in one place, hoping the mixture of words turn out better, while knowing you’ll be sitting … Continue reading Oh. You want the truth?