I’m sure I’m not the only writer who’s heart skips a beat when they find a new blank journal just calling me to fill it out with stories and ideas. I personally buy a notebook for 2 reasons: But how many of us bite off more than we can chew and either get writer’s block,Continue reading “33 Journaling Ideas for Notebook Hoarders (Like Me!)”
Category Archives: Writing Advice
12 Ways to Promote Your Book as an Indie Author
“Whether you’re an indie or hybrid author, the marketing of your book comes down primarily to you, and this sometimes can be quite a pain. However, here are some tips to make it a little easier!”
Book Review: Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication by Ann Whitford Paul
This was another required text for my grad certificate class “Writing Children’s Picture Books” and I learned a lot more than I expected from it regarding the picture book drafting process, such as the inclusion of figures of speech, format, book dummying, dialogue, and POV. Summary Paul takes her readers through the writing process pertainingContinue reading “Book Review: Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication by Ann Whitford Paul”
Book Review: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
I recently finished this book as a required text for a class I am enrolled in for my Creative writing Certificate, “The Art and Craft of Creative Writing”. I can say that while there are a lot of nuggets of wisdom for the aspiring writer, along with some entertaining anecdotes and scenes from Stephen King’sContinue reading “Book Review: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King”
5 Strategies for Building Strong YA Main Character Arcs
Don’t pamper your characters. Show their pain, their fears, their humanness. Your characters are like your children; raise them as such. PLEASE don’t give them the “I’m not like other people” trope! Here are some ideas to apply to your character so you can avoid it: Hopefully this list will help you flesh out yourContinue reading “5 Strategies for Building Strong YA Main Character Arcs”
5 Things to Avoid When Writing Teen Fiction
It’s unbelievable how often I encounter books written for teenagers where the author misses the mark about how a teen thinks or just rides off of teen clichés when crafting their stories. Don’t get me wrong, there is some good teen fiction out there, they just are hard to find, given how poorly many ofContinue reading “5 Things to Avoid When Writing Teen Fiction”
5 Tips to Get You through Your Manuscript’s 1st Draft
DO NOT edit as you go. This is perhaps the most time-consuming writing-preventer I’ve encountered when trying to write a manuscript. Rereading what you have written and making changes instead of writing the next part can be quite a hinderance to the progression of your story or novel, so please try to avoid editing untilContinue reading “5 Tips to Get You through Your Manuscript’s 1st Draft”
10 Story-Prompt Lines to Get You Started on Your Next Story
Sometimes I need a little push of inspiration before beginning or continuing any short story. Brainstorming a line or two that I want in the story sometimes does the trick. What line should the story begin with? What line should the story revolve around? Which sentence should complete the story or leave it on aContinue reading “10 Story-Prompt Lines to Get You Started on Your Next Story”
12 Ideas to Help You Get Over Your Writing Slump
If you are a mood-writer like me, then you may find it hard to find either the inspiration to write stories or the time to write. I know how annoying it can be to try and just sit there and wait for inspiration to come, so let’s brainstorm some ways that can help get thoseContinue reading “12 Ideas to Help You Get Over Your Writing Slump”
6 Overdone Tropes in YA Literature and TV
The more I try to find new books/TV shows, the more frustrated I get from repeated tropes that I believe no longer need to exist or just need to exist in a new light than they already have been previously portrayed. Here’s a list of ones that are currently getting my literary goat. Let’s takeContinue reading “6 Overdone Tropes in YA Literature and TV”
