Author Crush month is so much fun. The authors we contact are all very gracious to give us a glimpse into their writing life. Truly, the authors we hosted last month were both entertaining and encouraging.
I get tickled when I think about our fascination with how writers work. What an odd profession when trainees, contemporaries, [...]
Routines for Writers
helping writers write more
5
Mar
1 comment
29
Jan
Programming Note: MONDAY IS THE START OF AUTHOR CRUSH MONTH. So very exciting. Who will our fav authors be? Come on back and find out some tips from our lineup of stellar authors.
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Wow, what a month we have had learning about revision from Margie Lawson. My brain hurts. How about yours? Did you catch this [...]
22
Jan
This week I received some feedback on my thought-I-was-so-close-to-being-finished WIP. The feedback pointed out a problem that I knew was there but I was hoping wouldn’t matter. Grrr. Lesson here? Listen to your gut.
In this case, I had made certain choices because I was trying to keep my manuscript in the realm of middle-grade novel [...]
15
Jan
James Scott Bell in his new book The Art of War for Writers mentions a Writing Improvement Notebook. He includes these sections: Exemplars (good writing examples), Outside Comments (feedback about your work), and Self Study (setting up a thesis question about an area of craft you need to work on—then answering it.)
Two weeks ago I [...]
8
Jan
Need some outside motivation to finish your WIP? How about a neutral-third-party opinion?
More and more I am seeing online contests for writers where the prizes are wonderful things (that only a writer would appreciate!) like free critiques. With so many popping up, I’m losing track. So, voila! Notice the new tab up top our blog?
We [...]
1
Jan
Programming note: January is all about writing and revising. Our guest blogger this month is Margie Lawson. I took an online class from her last spring and learned a great way to use highlighters to critically look at my words. If you don’t already know her and her workshops you’ll meet her on Tuesday.
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Graphic courtesy [...]
18
Dec
For most people writing is a long, self-directed apprenticeship. You need to be able to focus on where you are going and how you are getting there.
Publishing can be such a slow business that sometimes you can feel like years have gone by and you have only moved an inch from where you started. That’s [...]
11
Dec
A Performance Review for Writers—The Three A’s
Posted by Shonna Slayton Published in Making Goals, SuccessIt’s that time of year again when we roll out our goal-setting routines. If you want to be ready to run with those New Years Resolutions you need to start making your plans now.
In yesterday’s blog you’ll see Kitty already has her calendar out and is marking off days. I’m a little bit behind her, [...]
4
Dec
For a children’s writer, writing 50,000 words in one month is a lot. In fact, it is more than the average number of words in a middle-grade book. I’m not the fastest writer in the world, so I needed to do something to make sure I’d win NaNoWriMo 2009. (Stephanie and Kitty can say Pshaw! [...]
27
Nov
Since living in the USA I’ve been introduced to a fascinating after Thanksgiving tradition: Black Friday shopping. I vaguely remember my first (and only) Black Friday experience standing in line at Walmart while it was still dark outside. I am SO not a morning person. I never did it again. I much prefer shopping the [...]
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