Gather ‘round, my dears, as I tell you a tale of the time I came scarily close to accepting a job with a notorious vanity publisher. *cue horror music* I know, I know. If you’re a fellow writer, you must be appalled, and with good reason. I swear I didn’t understand at the time exactly…
Tag: writing
Giving Life to Faulty Memories
What would you say is the best remedy for a faulty memory? A diary? A photo album? Home movies? Whatever it is you are currently reading this blog post on? You could make a solid argument for all of these, but today I want to talk about that last one. Or rather, something that you…
Incentivizing Pesky Writing Goals
Is it just me, or did summer in the northern hemisphere fly by? One moment, it’s June and I’m posting about my new tattoos, and the next, we’re into September. I planned to be MIA from my website for a couple of months, and I like to think you noticed my absence. No need to…
How to Pick Your Next WIP
I’m done. Finished. Finito. It’s a wrap on “final” edits to my middle grade novel. I’m now a query critique-and-revision cycle away from sending it back out to agent slush piles. I can’t do much more to get this book noticed, represented and published, so short of edits requested by an acquiring editor, I’m calling…
Creating in the Time of Corona
This is my fourth attempt at a post for this week’s blog entry. Let’s see if I actually get anywhere with this one. I had several topics I wanted to write about, but after getting a few sentences into each one, I ran out of steam. Or more precisely, I hated the way the words…
My Season of Non-Fiction Creativity: Hands-On Projects
Once upon a time (back in May of this year, to be precise), a fledgling writer proclaimed that she was taking a break from her blog for the summer in order to concentrate on finishing edits to her book. Then, an evil temptress known as Procrastination cast a spell, causing the writer to do practically…
Distractions That Keep Writers From…SQUIRREL!
Taking on the task of writing a full-length finished novel can be daunting and often more laborious than bargained for. That’s why distractions are the number one enemy of writers. It’s not that we want to be distracted. Rather, when faced with a painstaking task, letting minds and bodies wander is simply the path of…
Defining Your Success as a Writer
When you imagine yourself as a successful author, what do you see? A popular genre franchise that begets movie deals and amusement parks? The phrases “critically-acclaimed novelist” or “bestselling author” in front of your name? A modest yet solid reputation as a prolific indie author? Your name on the byline of a few literary magazines?…
Escaping Writer’s Tunnel Vision
A few years ago, I wrote a book that was everything. It was brilliant and compelling, imaginative and fun, heart-wrenching and heartwarming. I just knew this book was going to get me everything authors want and expect for their creative work: a fawning agent, a lucrative publishing deal, credibility as a bona fide children’s author,…
The Value of Writing Groups
I recently attended a holiday party where I chatted with a fellow author on all manner of writerly things. We found our writing journeys and experiences differed in several ways. He’s a full-time novelist while I squeeze writing into the spare hours around my 9-to-5 muggle job. He’s been represented by multiple agents throughout his…
D.M. Domosea 