It's the start of a new year and with that comes a clean slate of new possibilities. I love fresh starts and it's nice to get back into the grind after recovering from a whirlwind 2010. I've enjoyed reading your blog posts so far this year and I can feel the excitement in the air. A lot of writer friends are publishing their debuts this year and I'm looking forward to celebrating their success. For me, I'm happy to say that I'm starting off the new year in a significantly more healthier … [Read more...]
The Hardest Virtues
December 14, 2010 Read Comments
When 2010 first started, I was very excited about all the things that I would accomplish with my novel project. Don't we all have that feeling? That feeling of anticipation of meeting your goals and making progress? Having the best dreams for your novel? Then life happens. Other responsibilities. Day jobs. Family. All the things that can push your writing and your novel out of your focus. They say that patience is a virtue. For me, it's one of the hardest virtues to practice. … [Read more...]
Writer Intuition
November 16, 2010 Read Comments
I think all writers have this knowing inside of us --- maybe even a little voice that tells us, "No, not yet" when we want to rush our novels or let them out into the world too early. I like to call it "writer intuition." That inner knowing that guides you along your journey on a novel project. Sometimes we ignore this inner knowing but deep down, we know that it is the truth. A lot of my non-writer friends always ask me, "How do you come up with story ideas? How do you know what to … [Read more...]
Time and Money
November 2, 2010 Read Comments
So I was sharing my conference schedule with one of my writing friends --- telling her about my recent trip to Rutgers and my plans to attend the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop in December and SCBWI Florida Regional Conference in January. My friend then shared how she feels that she's lagging behind in her growth as a writer because she doesn't have the discretionary income to attend conferences. I told her that writers don't need to attend conferences to grow in the craft. I've … [Read more...]
