Announcement: Literary Agent
I am BEYOND THRILLED to announce I’m now represented by the fabulous Jennifer Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency! I feel so incredibly …
Clarion West Workshop: How Internal Tension Moves Your Character
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be running a workshop on tension for Clarion West this May! Come join me for an …
What Makes a Story Really Get Going?
C. L. Polk asked a fascinating question on Twitter: “What do you mean when you talk about the story getting moving? What’s …
Learning to Ask for Help with Writing
For years, I had this terrible tendency NOT to ask for help, as if someone else helping me meant the story was …
Questions for Identifying Reoccurring Motifs and Strengths
We talk all the time about how to shore up our weaknesses. That’s basically what getting a critique is all about! And …
A Musical Theory of Writing
When I think about my reader experience of a book, I think about music. Just as with music, when I read a …
My Storymap
Something I’ve been working on while brainstorming is mapping out themes and concepts that are sparkly to my brain. Time will tell …
Manuscript Post-Mortem
After I finish writing a book—regardless as to whether it’s succeeded or failed, or had the opportunity to do either—I usually spend …
Tied Up in Strings: How Internal Tension Moves Your Character
Imagine for a moment everything your character cares about—Love, Friendship, Family, Country, Ideals, Religion, Tradition, Self, and Things More Specific—as a string, …
Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Value of Positive Critique
Critique is the part where you tell an author everything they did wrong, right? Yes, absolutely! You need people who will tell …