I attended my first ever writers’ conference, which was also my first ever conference, this September held by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers organization here in the Denver area. I started volunteering with them doing write-ups on events for their monthly member newsletter last November, and the more I get to know the organization and […]
Breaking up with self-imposed obligations
You may have noticed, or maybe not, that I haven’t been posting here lately. I wasn’t on vacation or ill or doing anything glamorous or interesting. I was just taking a break. Last time I posted here, I was very busy reading, but I wasn’t doing much writing at the time. I’m sort of in […]
Big Plans for 2014: Editing, Nano-ing, and Beyond!
I have a few ideas about what I want to do on the blog here in the coming year, but first, let me get round to what I have been doing lately: Procrastination/fun stuff NaNoWriMo is over, and I did finally finish my story, but I had one last little update to do, and that’s […]
Get Out of Your Head: It’s Nice Out Here
I can sum up why beta readers are awesome in less than ten words: they pull you back into the real world. Sometimes when you’re writing, you get way too caught up in your own imagination and your own plans to pay attention to the details. This is actually a good thing – it means […]
August Update: Winners and Not-So-Fasters
I’ve been busy on some things, and lazy on some other things. For one thing, I spent a little time out of the house this past month (yay for not being a crazy recluse writer!), and volunteered at the Denver UMS (Underground Music Showcase). It was my first time at the festival at all, so […]
And Now to Finish It
I think I just figured out the right way to end my current WIP. It’s not going to be pretty, and it’s so far off the original ending in my outline, it’s ridiculous. But it’s going to be good – surprising, poignant, and and ironic (I hope). Why the ending matters You can have a […]
Blog Tour Wrap-Up: Part 2
First up, the winner of the $20 Fandango gift card during the tour is: Catherine Lee! Congratulations! My suggestion: Man of Steel opens this coming weekend, and Much Ado About Nothing the one after that. Just a suggestion. Enjoy! Thoughts overall What a trip! It’s been really fun for me these past couple weeks touring […]
How to Live with a Bad Review
This one is for the writers. What do you do when you get a bad review? Statistically, it’s bound to happen. You can’t please everybody, but that doesn’t make it any less painful when it happens. Sticks and Stones I haven’t had that many reviews at all, so when I get a bad one, it […]
Ask an Author – AMA about Writing
We love authors, and hate them at the same time. They can enchant us, make us laugh, help us escape, and discover new worlds we never knew existed. However, they don’t always do what we expect, or what we hope, and it can drive readers a little nuts. Why do authors mismatch characters who are […]
What I’ve Learned About Publishing This Year
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the publication of my first book. That being the case, I wanted to take a look back and evaluate everything I’ve learned in the past year about publishing, because it’s a LOT. I Never Set Out to Be a Publisher With Realistically Yours, a book I wrote during the […]