I spent most of the week at our local junior high. The eighth grade social studies classes are writing children's books based on the revolutionary war, and I was blessed to help. Most of Wednesday and Thursday were spent brainstorming with individual groups each period. Sometimes it's hard to take a…
Happy Friday, everyone! Today I'm excited to have a special guest, Michelle Lim! For all you writers out there, November is national novel writing month! NaNoWriMo is where writers sign up to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I'm passing this year but cheering all my friends on! Look…
One of the changes I've had to make as a published writer has been switching between projects. I'm not going to lie--it's been a challenge! Some writers have no problem with this, but jumping from one unfinished task to another is not my strong suit. I'm a systems girl, so I've done my…
I shouldn't be writing this. Really, I shouldn't. Social media posts should be positive, uplifting. I want to be a light in this world, not a dark shadow! But I know I'm not alone on this subject, so I'm putting it out there. I'm not at ACFW conference this year,…
Yesterday was one of those writing days. No, not a good one where the words are jumping from my fingertips onto the page. Not a delightful one where I'm chuckling at what the heroine just said and swooning over the hero's grand gesture. It was a long,…
I recently revised a proposal. This particular proposal had already been sent to a valued member of my writing team, who suggested I change a few plot details. I did, and then another person requested a different set of revisions. No problem! Sure, I get nervous waiting for feedback on…
Symptoms of writer's brain: 1. Overwhelming desire to drop everything and explore a new idea. 2. Inability to focus because five things are clamoring for attention. 3. Disconnect with the world around us due to immersion in whatever we're working on. I didn't always have writer's brain. In fact…
I'm blessed to have an overactive imagination. Yes, blessed! Ideas clang and roll around in my brain all the time. Most of them are tiny snippets, not worth exploring, but some burrow in and won't leave me alone. About six years ago, I learned something extremely valuable. If I don't…
To successfully plan a book release, you need an expert level of organization. As I wrap up the plans to promote my debut novel, I realize I had no idea it would be this time consuming. And there are so many details poised to slip through the cracks! That’s why I’m sharing…
One of the more daunting tasks in the writer's life is revising a rough draft. It's not that I don't like revising--I actually enjoy it--but it's a lot of work. Anyway, I got to thinking about my very first manuscripts. I laugh now, but back then I honestly didn't have a clue…