Category: Writing Advice

  • Editing Tips: Making the Most of Your Hard Copy Review

    Editing Tips: Making the Most of Your Hard Copy Review

    I get a bit too attached to my work, so I need to force a degree of separation between myself and what I’m writing. Reviewing a hard copy does this for me.

  • Dealing with Failure

    Dealing with Failure

    Having a plan, any plan, makes the situation feel less hopeless, more manageable, and is a good reminder that my journey as a writer is not over because of one rejection.

  • Formatting Tips for Your Manuscript: First Line Indents and Double Spacing

    So, last summer I received feedback on my manuscript, Footfall, from a published author. It was great feedback, very helpful. But one of the items of feedback that caught me off guard the most had nothing to do with the content of my story, but instead how it was formatted.

  • So You Want a Steady Job in Writing: 4 Industries Seeking Writers that You Might Not Have Considered

    I know from personal experience that many people feel writers have fairly limited career paths. After graduating with my English degree, I frequently was asked if I would teach, and after I responded in the negative, they asked what I could possibly do that was stable. The truth is there are many stable writing careers…

  • Writing Buddies

    A common stereotype for writers is that we’re quiet, solitary things with a propensity for addictive substances and hermit huts. There’s some truth to this stereotype, but I intentionally fight against it. For one, it fails to take into consideration the powerful work that can be done in collaboration. As I work on growing in my…

  • Tips and Tricks for Balancing Life and Writing

    Writing is hard enough without having a life to live on top of it. Right now I’m back to working full-time while my co-worker is on vacation. It’s a temporary arrangement, but it has reminded me how hard it is to find time to write, especially when you have a full-time job, are a student,…

  • My Favorite Writing Advice Blogs and Resources

    I spend a lot of space on this blog offering advice based off my own experiences. This is my blog, after all. But, I feel I would be doing a disservice to all of you writer’s out there if I didn’t also share some of the goodness I’m learning from other blogs. I’m semi self-taught as…

  • Four Teas for Writing

    All writers should be familiar with the soothing powers of tea. Aside from numerous health benefits, tea can be used as a mild stimulant to get your brain working or a sedative to help you relax and recover. Case in point: I’m in between revisions of Footfall and looking to find other things to keep…

  • Two Approaches to Worldbuilding

    Worldbuilding is one of my favorite aspects of storytelling. Whether the story is fantasy, science fiction, or some dystopian future, a great world design can make or break a story’s credibility and inspire countless future stories. In celebration of this marvelous act of creation, I’m going to share two basic approaches to start building your…

  • Villains Part II: Crafting the Ideal Foe

    Last week I discussed a few of what I see as the key archetypes for villains in literature and pop culture. I had a lot of fun researching it, but the discussion left me wondering what separated my favorite villains from the rest. In other words, what makes a good villain.