Sep 25
I’m so extroverted it’s painful, according to my introverted husband. I can’t remember when I didn’t want to be an author. I wrote my first story in Kindergarten, and I still have it (thanks, Mom!). It was about a princess, a dragon, and a knight, so… not much has changed. Costumes I’ve worn in public: …
Mar 31
What happens when a perfectionist takes the advice to write more short stories.
Oct 02
Last month, the second anniversary of my transition to being a full-time writer passed without my noticing. Maybe the second anniversary is never as exciting as the first, but I also have an excuse: I was finishing my book! I told myself I would finish in April. Then in May. Then in July or August. …
Jun 21
Author Kimmery Martin asked to see word counts in corkboard view for Scrivener. While I’m not positive this is what she wanted, it sounded like a helpful feature, so I tried to figure out a way to do it. First, I’ll show you how I do it. I have my scenes and chapters organized in …
May 04
At the beginning of this year, I set for myself what I considered to be ambitious but achievable goals: accumulate 75 rejections and edit my second book. Of course, I wasn’t really after 75 rejections; I was hoping that I could find an agent who wanted my book before I hit that number. But querying …
Apr 20
Facts about me I can’t remember when I didn’t want to be an author. I wrote my first story in Kindergarten, and I still have it (thanks, Mom!). It was about a princess, a dragon, and a knight, so… not much has changed. I graduated from the University of Michigan. (Go Blue!) My favorite Doctor …
Jan 01
I ended 2017 by getting the stomach flu and eating nothing but 7-Up and white bread for three days, so we have nowhere to go from here but up! My 2018 writing goals are pretty simple: Accrue 75 rejections for Alchemist’s Mirror Finish two revision passes on my 2017 NaNoWriMo novel Of course, if I …
Nov 06
I last participated in NaNoWriMo in 2010. Since then, I’ve had two kids, quit my job, and rewritten my novel twice. Along the way, I picked up quite a bit about story structure and am now a reformed pantser (although no one is ever only a plotter or a pantser, many lean far to one …
Nov 01
Happy November, everyone! For writers, the day after Halloween brings not just a candy hangover but the beginning of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. Those who sign up attempt to write a whole novel during the month of November. (The target of 50,000 words is technically a little shorter than most novels, …
Sep 22
OK, I don’t know that my writing qualifies as dangerous, but it has been a year since I started this crazy experiment of being a full-time author. It’s been a while since I did a retrospective, so now seems like a good time! When I quit my day job, my counselor warned me that for …
