By Ronda Simmons Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write an entire first draft, fifty thousand words, during November. If things go well, you’ll have a manuscript at the end of the thirty days of the eleventh month.
Tag Archives: writing process
The Perfect Antidote
By Eleanor Shelton The sun is shining brightly over the mountains, there are hiking trails, time galore to do what you want, wine, good food, naps, reading. It sounds like the perfect vacation, right? Except, it’s a writing retreat. So, where’s the writing? Where’s the inspiration when you have the ideal time for it? WhatContinue reading “The Perfect Antidote”
We Need Dependable, Not Inspirational
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”
Productive Distractions
By David E. Sharp Great ideas rarely come to me when I’m staring at a word document. That would be a convenient time for them to show up, but inspiration is fickle. Maybe it’s because I can’t get my inner monologue to stop repeating, “Come up with a great idea. Come up with a greatContinue reading “Productive Distractions”
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”
What I Do When I’m Not Writing
By Brian Kaufman Introduced to a new coworker recently, “What do you do for fun?” I explained that I write. Since I write textbooks for a living, my new friend pressed me for a different answer. “No, not work. What do you do for fun?” I write. “You don’t spend every moment of every dayContinue reading “What I Do When I’m Not Writing”
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.
Writing Writing Writing, Wait . . . What?
By JC Lynne Caution: Shameless plugs ahead. I don’t know about you, but the deeper we get into 2020, the more I feel like we’re living in a dystopian novel. An overwritten, overly dramatic, dystopian novel.
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.”
THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BOOK
BY JC LYNNE Originally posted May 07, 2020 (Cue cheerful and 50s uptempo music.) Did you ever stop to think about the many kinds of living things in the world around us? There are plants and animals. On the land, in the air, and in the water, we are surrounded by LIFE. And it’s thatContinue reading “THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BOOK”
