A few weeks ago I walked out of our local art supplies shop with a set of acrylic paints and a new blending brush. I’m not a painter, and I spent way too long staring at the rainbow of paint choices, wondering what I should choose. Eventually I picked out a set of colors and … Continue reading Finding my inner creative child
Writing a novel is hard. Here's How to find the creative community you need.
Writing a novel is hard. From character development to worldbuilding to trying to keep all of your subplots straight, there is a lot that goes into writing a novel, especially for beginners. When I was first starting out as a writer, I made a lot of mistakes, and I struggled for years to even finish … Continue reading 8 Keys to Writing Spectacular Stories
When I started writing my fantasy novel series, the Sitka Saga, I knew it was something I wanted to share with the world one day, but I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that. At first, I was dead-set on going the traditional publishing route. This was, after all, how “real” authors … Continue reading Why I’m publishing the Sitka Saga in Web3
And if you want your book to become somebody’s favorite novel, you need to master the art of weaving together internal and external conflict.
Sometimes in the online writing space I see people who are concerned that they're not "talented" enough to write. But the truth is that if you're afraid to start because you're not already good, you'll miss out on the growth that happens through the process of creating.
The other day I was browsing through an online writing group I’m part of, and someone posted a question about what makes “good writing” and why so many popular books were apparently “bad.” In response, another commenter cited a wildly popular YA series, and said something to the effect of, “The author isn’t even a … Continue reading Does your prose need to sound more “literary?”
As I look back on my last several years of being a writer, there is a pattern I’ve noticed: the more I’ve studied and learned about writing, the slower I actually get the writing done. And that’s because the more that I’ve learned, the more that I’ve started holding myself to impossible standards.
Well, it's October, and you know what that means: yellow leaves, a chill in the air, and a growing buzz about NaNoWriMo. If that just looked like a goofy jumble of letters and not a word, allow me to explain. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, a yearly event where people from around the world … Continue reading Thinking of NaNoWriMo? The Truth About Writing a Novel in a Month