Note: This is a guest post by novelist Cheri Roman. Be sure to scroll down and check out her latest! Early in my career, the only way to get published was a contract with a traditional publisher. So I wrote my first book and stepped gleefully into Traditional Station, certain that in no time, I’d … Read more
It’s a common question: “How do I become a writer?” The quick and easy response is “Write.” Just write. Keep writing until you get bloody good at it, and then write some more. But the best answer, really, depends on what kind of writer you want to become. What’s your definition of “a writer?” Minus … Read more
There’s no such thing as failure. Mistakes happen in your life to bring into focus more clearly who you really are. —Oprah Winfrey Since college, I’ve been both a fiction and a non-fiction writer, and I’ve had two main goals. I would go beyond the poetry and short stories I was writing, and I’d also … Read more
You’re in the middle of NaNoWriMo, and you’re not coming up with anything. None of the prompts from the site are helping. Nothing is inspiring you. You’re completely frustrated—and stuck. I know the feeling. It must be writer’s block, right? Or you’ve been deluding yourself. This just isn’t working for you. Maybe next year… Stop … Read more
If you’re a blogger, especially if you’re new, you might struggle to generate ideas for blog posts. Or you’re worried you don’t know enough about your subject. That you’re not expert enough. That people won’t believe you if you challenge popular beliefs. Maybe it’s a lack of confidence or that nagging negative voice. But sometimes … Read more
You’ve heard active verbs make your writing clear, more concise, and easier to read. Right? And passive verbs should be avoided because they’re clunky and imprecise. They can be confusing and difficult to read, too, because they require more words in a sentence than active verbs do. Knowing the difference between active verbs and passive … Read more
Update: If you’re in the middle of your novel and it’s going slow, these tips will help: Stuck With Your Novel? Get Unstuck! NaNoWriMo is almost here! On November 1, writers around the world will start tapping keyboards like crazy to complete a 50,000 word novel by the end of the month. Granted, you’ll need … Read more
We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. Most things are not as impossible as we think. The only way to find out is to try. —Scott Dinsmore Someone I didn’t know died in a freak accident a few days ago. I got the news from someone else I don’t … Read more
Quizzes are a great way to learn. The best part is discovering what you know and what you don’t know. Plus, in this case, you’re testing your comma skills, which are super important for any writer. And with an informal quiz like this one, there’s no performance pressure—you’re not in school, people—so you can relax … Read more
You’re in shock. The blog post you thought was brilliant just…flopped. Sometimes it’s a busy time of year, and people don’t have time to read. And then it gets some fairly good search engine traffic later on, but it never becomes uber-popular. Or maybe—sometimes you’ll have to admit it—the post just plain old sucks rocks. … Read more