A user on one of the online writing groups I frequent posed an interesting question. She asked “When you do quit?” The question came after she did a signing where no one came, and she was just feeling like this writing game was no longer worth it. I responded a little more personally on the […]
The only surefire way to get better at this “writing” thing
I know this is old advice, but it’s always worth repeating. If you want to get better at something, you need to practice. That means if you want to be a writer, you have to write. In fact, you have to write every day. Seriously. See, here it is in bold: write every day. And […]
Make “Lucky” the New “Busy”
Hey, I hope your Memorial Day weekend is going well. It’s a great time of year to pay tribute to not only your lost loved ones, but also to all of the men and women who died in service. I also consider it the weekend where summer really begins. And even though our kids aren’t […]
Criticism is a good thing
In today’s hyper-partisan land of the social media echo chamber, it sometimes seems to me that people are are no longer capable of hearing anything that isn’t 100% in agreement with them. You’re most likely thinking “yeah, so. I’m here to read about writing, not your social commentary.” But this does relate to writing. In […]
You Are “Good Enough”
I’ll often see writers talk about self-doubt, inner critics, and feelings of inadequacy. “I just can’t do it” or “I’m not good enough.” I never really understood it–until now. I always told myself things like: I have no self-doubt or any of that stuff. I know I’ll make it. Someday. I could do it faster […]
Three sobering facts about being a writer
A while back I had a post with 7 writing tips for new writers. These were some practical tips on the business of writing and just getting started as a writer. It’s still good advice and worth a look if you haven’t read that post yet. But there is one big concept missing from that […]
10 Pieces of Advice for New Writers in 2017
With 2017 already 18 days (!) old, I thought I’d like to post something for some of the aspiring writers out there who may be picking up the proverbial pen for the first time this year, or maybe giving writing another chance after a long break. If you’re new at this writing thing and happened […]
My most common mistakes and how to fix them
While going back and forth between revising an old novel and writing a new one, I noticed a few things about my writing that really made me cringe. I find that more than a few mistakes I thought I had taken care of have slowly crept back into my writing. So I thought that by […]