A License to Read

Reading and writing go hand in hand. That’s obvious, right? At least, it should be. But why are many writers so busy they claim they don’t have time to read? I get being busy. I’m a mother of three. I home educate my children. I work as the cover coordinator for The Consortium. I also[…]

Why Do You Write?

Have you ever asked yourself that question? If not, take a minute and ask yourself now. Why do you write? I don’t know if I had ever directly questioned why I write. I’ve only been writing [regularly] for fewer than three years. Still, that’s not an excuse for avoiding the analysis of something that takes up[…]

The Secret of Success: Being a Parent AND an Artist

I often get asked, “How do you do it? How do you manage to write novels and have time for all those creative projects when you’re a homeschooling mom of three?” The answer is complicated, and multi-faceted. In fact, at first glance I’m not sure I fully know how to answer that question. But I’m[…]

The Cure for Writer’s Block via Stephen King

I recently read this nifty little book by Stephen King. I’m not a huge fan of his work although I respect him as a writer. But On Writing provided me a chest full of gold nuggets – encouragement, inspiration, solutions to problems every writer faces. You might expect someone who’s come across this kind of[…]

Things I Like: Super Powers

It’s not much of a secret: I’m a sucker for stories about people with super-human abilities. Superman. X-Men. Heroes. Smallville. Even Twilight wooed me with vampires* that have special gifts. I had a realization when I began my current novel. This is the first story I’ve written that hasn’t involved super powers of one type[…]

How to Maximize Word Count During NaNoWriMo

If you’re one of the participants in National Novel Writing Month, you know that the end of the month is closing in. We’ve only seven days left! I hope your writing is right on track, but if you’re a little behind, don’t lose hope yet! There’s still time to pick up that word count and[…]

Consider This Your Soapbox (or Focus on Your Strengths)

I read an excellent blog post by Jeremy McNabb on analyzing your own strengths as a writer. Too often we criticize ourselves, tearing down our own efforts with our words. We might be tough on others, but usually we are hardest on ourselves. Recognizing our mistakes and learning from them is a valuable trait to[…]

Momentum: The Push You Need

I’m deep in the throes of National Novel Writing Month, and having an awesome November, at that. I’ve been ahead in my word count since day one, and it has felt amazing. My goal has been to double the daily word goal, something I haven’t hit every single day, but often enough. One thing I[…]