The biggest summer writing stumbling block
This week I taught a class called "Get Ready For Summer Writing" with an eye toward looking ahead to the summer and getting a writing plan in place to deal with the various obstacles and...
Sci-Fi Circuit: Breaking Into the Sci-Fi Spec Market
Thinking ahead to summer writing
While technically it's still spring until the solstice, I'm anticipating the changes summer will bring to my writing habits and my life. My husband will be home more (he works at the University),...
Finish your novel at any age
It's always thrilling for me to see someone finish a writing project, particularly when I've been on the journey with them, from within the trenches of our writing community. We cheer each other on,...
Sci-Fi Circuit: The Magic of World Building
Creating amid chaos
Can we write when we're surrounded by clutter? Craving the relief from chaos For a sensitive person, clutter is an energy drain because it's overstimulating (one of the biggest challenges for a...
If this was your wake up call, what would it be?
Seems like every time I turn around, someone I know is going through something big: ... Friends with cancer. ... My father facing health challenges. ... A neighbor's house catching on fire. ... My...
Fighting writing resistance
One of the greatest bugaboos of writers (and creatives of all sorts) is resistance. Ah, resistance. Resistance is that unseen force that repels us from writing (or eating our vegetables or doing...
Sci-Fi Circuit: What Makes It Sci-Fi?
The trap we all fall into
I spoke with a sister writer yesterday and we talked about the many, many challenges we face when it comes to completing projects, let alone getting them out there into the world. As moms and...
Learning from endings
I've finished the rewrite of my script. And I've learned so much about endings as I've approached this one. It's a different scenario from the usual drill of having a forced, external deadline. This...
Write first thing in the morning? Are you crazy?
Back in November 2011, I wrote a post about why I've been getting up at 6 a.m. to write. It's something I often encourage writers to try, especially those that are struggling with resistance and /...