Writing a Novel: What’s Your Point?

We are big Ted Lasso fans in our house. I love the messages about vulnerability, the importance of friendships, the challenge to toxic masculinity in sport and the wide world, and Ted’s down home quips that remind me of every great aunt sitting around our family reunions growing up with similar silly sayings twisting their

Knowing Your Writing Process: Plotting vs. Pantsing

I came across an advice column recently where someone wanted recommendations on books and resources as they considered whether to have children or not. They wanted to be prepared. Whew. That’s a big ask. As a parent, I can tell you, no amount of research prepared me for the real life experience of parenting. Sure,

How to Keep Your Story on Track

This month, I’ve written about how to stay on track with your drafts, revisions, queries, and using self-care because after all, you can’t keep writing if you’re burned out. Today, however, I want to talk about craft. How do we keep our stories on track? The short answer? Story trajectory. Your story’s trajectory is the

Tips for Writers to Stay on Track During the Query Process

Oh, querying. The very worst of the hurry-up-and-wait-and-wait-and-wait-and-oh, yay-another-rejection game! It can be difficult for writers to stay on track while querying. It’s the first part of the process where writers give up control. And that can be scary. Terrifying, really. Because not only do we not have control, but we’re essentially asking someone to

Tips to Keep Writers on Track While Drafting

This month, I want to focus on how we can stay on track as writers. Writing a book is a long, complex process and it is easy to lose our way. If you want to finish your novel, read on for tips to keep you moving forward to “the end” of your story and your

Good vs. Bad Writing Feedback

There are two kinds of feedback: useful feedback that helps you grow as a writer and strengthens your work OR bad feedback that is impossible to satisfy and doesn’t teach you anything.  Bad feedback is: Some examples of bad feedback: “I don’t know why, but I don’t like it.” “The voice needs to be stronger.”

Feedback: Where Writers Can Find It

Whether you are new to the writing game or have been doing this for sometime, finding valuable feedback on your work is a necessity. The most common question I hear from writers is where to find it. Let’s take a quick look at the types of feedback available to you first. Critique Partners or Alpha

Feedback: Why Do Writers Need It? (Series 1 of 4)

This month, I want to dive into feedback. What is it? Why do we need it? Where do we find it? How do we use it most effectively? Feedback can be a tricky business for writers. We definitely know we need it, but why? It may seem simple: because we wrote this thing in isolation

Stuck at “The End” (January Stuck Series 4 of 4)

We made it!! It’s the last full week in January and this month I’ve tried to explore every facet of being “stuck” in our writing process. As a reminder, we’ve looked at: (For even more, check out my Instagram Stuck Series Highlights) It seems strange to think of being stuck at the end. After all,

Stuck in the Murky Middle (January Stuck Series Part 3 of 4)

The middle is that dangerous place for a writer of a novel-length work. There are just so many words needed to get you from your inciting incident to your climax and protagonist’s ultimate change. For many writers, the beginning is easy. You have a shiny idea that invigorates your creative energy. Scenes may be pouring