By Miranda Birt Who here has heard habit trumps motivation? I’ve mostly heard this phrase at conferences, in interviews, on YouTube, and anywhere else a person can listen to writing advice. They all say the same thing: “if you want to be successful, you need to make writing a habit.” I think it makes totalContinue reading “We Need Dependable, Not Inspirational”
Category Archives: Advice
Getting Off of The Struggle Bus
By Ronda Simmons The pandemic has passed the six-month mark, and I’ve been riding the struggle bus. Michael Christensen defines the struggle bus as “an imaginary bus representing a state of perpetual struggles or difficulties. A metaphor that relates physically riding a bus with going through hardships. Used with the same terminology of riding anContinue reading “Getting Off of The Struggle Bus”
Accountability Partners: Man, Beast, or Tech
By Eleanor Shelton My Fitbit died last week. It had always been on my wrist (other than showers) for the last year and a half. It held me accountable for moving more, celebrated when I moved a lot more, and actually told me the time. Something is missing that had become part of me.
We Like to Do A Little Digging
By Ronda Simmons So, you’ve written your first draft, and it’s okay. It’s a compelling story, your plot is on point. You’ve paid attention to structure, character development, grammar, and spelling. But when you read it, you know there’s something off. The characters feel flat, the dialog is emotionally dull. Something is missing.
Writers Show Resilience in The Face of The Pandemic
By Eleanor Shelton We already know that writers are a brave lot. We allow complete strangers to read our creations and pass judgment on our suitability to be counted as part of this noble profession. We bare our souls to complete strangers while trying to protect the essence of our beings. Even soldiers wear bulletproofContinue reading “Writers Show Resilience in The Face of The Pandemic”
Stepping Lightly Between The Shoe Drops
By Miranda Birt We’re more than halfway through this year and man, what a ride. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, but let’s be honest—2020 just *bleeping* chucked a Payless off a cliff. While we’ve all been ducking boat shoes and dodging stilettos (some more successfully than others), it’s got me thinking aboutContinue reading “Stepping Lightly Between The Shoe Drops”
Professor Malevolent’s School For Fictional Villainy
By David E. Sharp Every Batman needs his Joker, every Cinderella needs her wicked stepmother, and every tortoise track-and-field athlete needs an obnoxious hare. Your hero is only as good as your villain. But it’s easy to get villains wrong. That’s why I have asked the advice of notable villain and nefarious schemer, Professor Malevolent.Continue reading “Professor Malevolent’s School For Fictional Villainy”
IT’S NOT JUST A HAIRCUT I NEED.
By JC Lynne Originally posted May 21, 2020 Day seventy-four, and there is still no hand sanitizer to be found. And don’t get me started on the yeast shortage. Okay, that sounded worse than it should have. Where are the jalapeños? Why isn’t there any Monterey Jack cheese? What is the attraction these gabachos haveContinue reading “IT’S NOT JUST A HAIRCUT I NEED.”
MOVING DAY!
By David E. Sharp Originally published April 30, 2020 Everyone at one point or another must face the gauntlet that is trial and tribulation. Scourge and punishment. And despite this woe, many are unprepared because most of us have never enrolled in wizard school. Nor have we fought an oppressive empire in a galaxy far,Continue reading “MOVING DAY!”
A CHAPTER ONE CHECKLIST
By David E. Sharp Originally posted February 27, 2020 The annual NCW conference looms on the horizon. Many of us are sprucing up those manuscripts to impress professionals of the literary world, not least of which are agents you hope to woo. You’ve got 50,000 words to show off, but you’ll only have a pageContinue reading “A CHAPTER ONE CHECKLIST”
