In the Beginning Due to the pandemic, numerous regional writing groups, long accustomed to physically gathering to attend live presentations or reviews, have morphed into online critique groups. Members of an at-large writing group in Utah have been participating in online critique sessions for eight years. When the chapter first began using email to exchange…
Less than a month from my book deadline and I am floundering—flailing wildly like a proverbial fish out of water. I’m an intuitive writer and right now, my intuition tells me that both my hero and heroine lack agency and their internal conflicts have been too easily resolved. The pace of the book drags and…
If you’re reading this post, you’re probably a fiction writer! And if you’re a fiction writer, you’ve probably got ideas about the writing life. You’ve probably had experiences that you learned from. You probably have resources that you’re using to improve your writing. You may have been to writers’ conferences, joined a critique group, or…
If you maintain an online presence that’s all about your writing career—website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blog page, Amazon author page—check your core material every now and then. Your bio. The kinds of books you write. Make sure all your info is accurate and up to date. Check that all your links work. Google yourself. Check…
I think 2020 should be like the 13th floor in a lot of hotels: just pretend there isn’t one. Skip it. Ignore it. Consider it bad juju. I can’t say it was all bad (because of book contracts) but the wear and tear on my psyche was just too much. Friends turned into ravers (and…