As a writer, I’m not fond of world building. It’s one of the reasons why (almost) all my fiction is realistic rather than speculative. But as a freelance editor, it’s one aspect of story that I pay especially close attention to, because getting it right can mean the difference between engaging your readers and confusing […]
Three Tips for World Building without Info Dumping Read More »
Considering there are states across the country already starting to relax their pandemic restrictions, this post might be a little less timely than it would’ve been a month ago. However, I think we can all agree that COVID-19 is likely to hang around for many weeks–or months–more, and that the unpleasant mental, emotional, and financial
Passing Time in Isolation Read More »
I mentioned in my last post that I’d be doing a short series on the revision process I’m slowly developing while I work on my current WIP, and I’m pleased to post this first (official) installment so soon. Since I’m very much still in the ‘figuring out what works’ stages, I’ll be updating only as
My Revision Process: The Preparation Stage Read More »
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I enjoy revising my stories far more than I enjoy drafting them. And yet, up until recently I’ve made my revisions so much harder on myself than I needed to because I’ve never had a set process–or even a framework–I could stick to. My past approach has
Developing a Revision Process Read More »
At the beginning of the pandemic here in the United States, before we all became far too familiar with terms like social distancing and PPE, I wasn’t reading very much. This was partially because I was moving and lacked an abundance of free time, mental energy, and available books, and partially because most of the
Reading as Escapism Read More »
Because I’m always looking for excuses to blog more and because I don’t always remember to put personal updates on Twitter, I’m going to try something new to me: a Quarterly Update. Although the information I’ll include each quarter will likely change from time to time, it should (hopefully) provide a broader overview of what
Quarterly Update: Catastrophic Ceiling Failure and WriteOnCon Read More »
After plenty of ups and downs and stops and starts, I finished the zero draft of my YA thriller MS this week. It’s long and rambling, the way all my zero drafts are, and it needs plenty of work, the way all my zero drafts do. On the other hand, I can already tell how
Draft Zero: Complete! Read More »
When a friend first convinced me to come try her dance class, I was excited . . . and apprehensive. Dance was one of those things that had always vaguely interested me, but which I’d never been brave enough to do. Although I have pretty good balance and reflexes for a non-athlete, I’ve also never
Making Unskilled Art Read More »
I’ve already blogged at least once about how I turned thirty back in the fall, but I haven’t really talked about how I feel about that. There was a period in my mid-twenties where my birthdays were weirdly upsetting, when I felt like my life was completely passing me by and I hadn’t done much
30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30 Read More »
One of my New Years resolutions last year was to be rejected 100 times. Although I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to receiving critique, I’d gotten out of the habits of submitting my work and being turned down–both of which are important to maintain when you’re writing for publication. It’s easy to
What I Learned from a Year of Chasing Rejection Read More »