Finding a critique group that is a good fit for you is HARD! You might want to create your own group. But where do you start? I have it all laid our for you here in this post!
Tag: Writing
Hello 2020!
2019 was a fun year! I have a story published in Youth Imagination Magazine! I've been doing a ton of writing. This year I'm being more intentional with my posts and focusing more on writing craft.
Writing Advice: Writer’s Block
When I was little the doctor used to prick my finger to test blood for something I didn’t understand. The prick never really hurt that bad, but the doctor squeezing my finger to get enough blood out into the tiny capillary tube hurt like crazy! That is what writer’s block is like. The type of writer’s block I’ve had was more of a 10+ year paralysis. After college I wrote 1/3 of a novel. I decided to research the craft of writing. Great idea in theory. It was like drinking from a fire hose because I decided it would be a good idea to read every book that I could get my hands on. I had no idea there was so much to learn. I became overwhelmed and didn’t know how to implement ALL that I had learned ALL at once. So I stopped writing. Life got busy anyway. I changed careers, got married, had a child, moved a couple times. Ya know…Life.
Writing Advice: Write Only for Yourself
Ray Bradbury said "Write only for yourself" This is excellent advice! At times I've gotten stuck in my writing, and after thinking about the cause, I usually find that I'm attempting to write for the wrong reason. For the past couple years, I've been writing short stories in hopes of getting published in one of the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association) recognized magazines so I can become a member of SFWA. Sometimes I catch myself trying to write not from my heart, but with an end goal in mind, publication. This means I'm on step 2, but thinking about step 12.
Stages of a Draft
What are the stages of writing from start to finish?
Discovery Writer or Outliner?
There are many terms for these two types of writers. Discovery Writers, Pantser, Plotter, Outliner. (To name a few). What are they? And what kind of writer are you? Is one better than the other?
One Step Closer
I love books. You know this about me. I love them so much that I dream of seeing a book I wrote on my library shelf. I am not one who sits by and dreams without taking steps to make it happen. One of my strengths is Achiever. (Gallup test) This means I set goals, … Continue reading One Step Closer
NaNoWriMo for people too busy to write 50k words
Only 4 days until NaNoWriMo! What is NaNoWriMo? Look here. Basically it is a world-wide word count challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I have yet to ever write 50,000 words in one month. I haven't even come close. The most I've ever done is 15,000 words and I was pretty … Continue reading NaNoWriMo for people too busy to write 50k words
Revision and Editing a Story Series: Initial Revision Pass #1
You have a rough draft...now what?
Writing Community Series: Benefits of a Writing Group
What are the benefits of being in a writing group?