I’m weirdly fascinated when I read about the daily routines of writers. I guess I’m curious to see if my routines are similar or different. I’m looking for the key to writing a good novel. I always come to the same conclusion: there is no magical ritual, there is no one way to write. Still, — Read More
Category: Writing Process
Just keep swimming
That’s what I think of when I’m struggling with writing–just keep swimming, just keep swimming. You know, from “Finding Nemo.” If you don’t know, you should watch that movie. That one little phrase has helped me get through hard weeks at work, a week-long trek through the High Sierras, half marathons, and now this book — Read More
Muse, I don’t have time to wait for you.
I’m writing this post as a means to procrastinate. I’m trudging along through my book revision and I have a very intense chapter to write today. With that in mind, I did every errand I could think of. And now here I am, blogging. I swear I will open the dreaded Word document right after — Read More
Here we go again
I figure it’s time for a book update. I’ve left y’all hanging. So, at the end of June, I got an agent and she sent my book out to some publishers. Honestly, despite many disappointments with this process before, I was super hopeful. My agent seemed genuinely excited for the book and had so many — Read More
Henry Miller’s 11 commandments
Last week, I posted Stephen King’s 22 writing tips. I went on a tip-finding spree of sorts and found these 11 commandments from Henry Miller (Source: Brain Pickings). He jotted these down during his 1932-33 year-of-writing. Oh, the wonders a good list can do for motivation. 1. Work on one thing at a time until — Read More
22 tips from Stephen King
As one of the most successful and prolific writers that’s ever lived, I’d say Stephen King is a pretty good source for tips. Source: Business Insider (My thoughts in italics) 1. Stop watching television. Instead, read as much as possible. If you’re just starting out as a writer, your television should be the first thing — Read More
Daily Lives of Famous Creative People
(If by “regular” and “orderly,” he means “boring,” I’ve got this covered) If you’re like me, you’ve read a great book or listened to a great album and thought, “How the hell did this masterpiece come to be?” It’s only natural to want to peek into the lives of the creators–in search of secrets or — Read More
So, I have an agent.
Let me explain why this is pretty awesome. In my mind, there are 4 big steps for a writer who wants to publish a book with a big publishing house: STEP 1: Write the f-ing book. This involves about a billion sub-steps, which I shudder to think about, let alone list. STEP 2: Get an — Read More
Remembering Maya Angelou
When we left on our honeymoon, I vowed I would use my phone minimally on the trip. I wanted to disconnect from all the usual distractions–news, social media, email, etc. But, a few days in, like a sick addict, I couldn’t resist pulling up my Facebook feed. And then I saw that Maya Angelou had — Read More
Daily routines of famous writers
I haven’t written a word of fiction in a few weeks now. It’s a much-needed break. I’m getting married this weekend and then going on my honeymoon. I’ll revisit my book after the honeymoon, then get ready to send it out into the world. The other day, though, an idea popped into my head for — Read More