In the last two weeks of my time at Clarion, we were lucky enough to be taught by Charlie Finlay and Rae Carson, who were extraordinary teachers and also supremely empathetic human beings (in my mind, those two go hand in hand.) We were able…
Tag: writing inspiration
You got this, friend. You’ve been getting ready for thirty days. You have inspiration, you have a core idea, you have characters, you have the beginning part outlined. You’re ready. Today, you rest. Anticipate the excitement of next month. You’re going to be all right.…
Today is about finding your comps! Comps (short for “competitive titles” or “comparison titles”) are often used in query letter or pitches to tell an agent or publisher where your book would go on the shelf. Is it next to Nora Roberts or Stephen King?…
Good morning! Today we’re going to talk about finding a support squad, or at least one cheerleader. We talked earlier about finding a community. This is related, but it’s a little more personal. Think of someone, or a couple of people, in your life who…
Today, let’s spend our fifteen minutes thinking about and selecting tools for our month of writing. Having the right tools on hand is an important part of setting yourself up for success! Think about every aspect of your process. Do you like to brainstorm or…
Hello writers, today we’re going to do an exercise that’s about highlighting the stuff in your story that you think is important! I think most writers (at least ones I talk to) write chronologically, and especially when pantsing, which is what I typically do for…
It’s Friday again and you know what that means! It’s time to rest. If you feel up to it, I invite you to experiment today, in whatever way you choose to interpret that. Experiment with a sense of play. For me, today, that means playing…
It’s Friday again, and you know what that means — it’s a recharge day! This week, I’m going to think about other books, stories, movies, and games that inspire me. It’s important to have rewards and distractions during Nanowrimo, for when you need a break…
Today is Day 13 of getting ready for Nanowrimo, that activity some of us writers subject ourselves to, trying to write a novel in a month. And today is your LUCKY DAY because we’re going to play a game I like to call “What If?”…
Happy Monday! Monday is a great day to talk about music and mood, and to do that I’ve asked my sister and fellow writer Anne Pinckard to write something. While I love the idea of using music to help my writing, I don’t really have…