It’s Day 9 and today it’s all about the Seven Deadly Sins of Fiction? Have you committed one or maybe you have and don’t know
12 Days of Christmas-Day 8-Love is in the Air
It’s Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas and today love is in the air because if you’re thinking about writing a romance novel
12 Days of Christmas-Day 7-Continuing Series
Did you know that readers love series books? Have you thought about writing one? Today’s special can give you a head start on doing just
12 Days of Christmas-Day 6-Let’s Get Planning
NaNoWriMo might be over but that doesn’t mean you still can’t write a novel in 30 days. Success depends on planning and that’s why I
12 Days of Christmas-Day Five-A Long Story, Short
Have you ever thought about writing short stories? It’s a great way to supplement your fiction writing, the perfect way to ease yourself into writing,
It’s Day Four-12 Days of Christmas-What A Character
What’s the most important part of a story? Many people will say plot, but that’s only part of the magic. You can’t have a fantastic
12 Days of Christmas Day 3-POV
Did an editor return your manuscript telling you it had head-hopping issues? Or maybe you don’t know what’s wrong with your story or why it’s
12 Days of Christmas-Plotting Your Novel Workbook
It’s Day Two of the 12 Days of Christmas. Do you struggle with planning and plotting your novels? Lots of writers do, even established authors.
12 Days of Christmas-Day One-Common Writing Problems
Welcome to Day One of the 12 Days of Christmas. For the next 12 days, I’ll offering a discount on one of my writing products.
Fiction Predictions for 2024
I hoping I’m not breaking a rule that I always tell my students and that’s to never write to trends. However, I thought it would
Author Super Bundle-Last Day at Lower Price
It’s Cyber Monday… Did you pick up any great deals over the last four days? If you missed my post on Friday, I mentioned the
Super Author Bundle
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. You know what follows Thanksgiving? Black Friday. A day for sales and bargains and for me, it’s
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
It’s almost Black Friday with Cyber Monday close behind. While I won’t be running any sales during this time, I’ve opted to take part in
Writing Opportunities for 2024 and Beyond
If only we had a crystal ball and could see the future. Part of being a successful a writer is forecasting what’s going to be
NaNoWriMo-Ready, Set, Go
Hello fellow authors. Happy fall (or spring). It will soon be that time of year again. NaNoWriMo will be upon us before we know it.
Rejection Guaranteed
Do you keep submitting your story, think it’s perfect but it keeps getting rejected? If only editors would give us some clue as to why
Catching Up
Hello fellow authors. Yes, it’s been a long time since I posted a blog on this site. I’ve been busy with projects and I’ve been
Wednesday Guest Author- M.S. Spencer
It’s Wednesday and that means, it’s Guest Author Day. This week it’s M.S. Spencer… This Writer’s Life-(TWL)-Welcome to the Wednesday blog, happy to have you
Wednesday Guest Author-Joan Ramirez
It’s time for another guest author spot and for this Wednesday it’s Joan Ramirez. I decided to become an author at the age of 9.
Wednesday Guest Author-J. Arlene Culiner
It’s Wednesday and it’s time for another guest author and please J. Arlene Culiner. TWL-What’s a typical writing session like for you? Do I have
Wednesday Guest Author
It’s Wednesday and that means it’s guest author time. Please welcome Jill Piscitello. This Writer’s Life-(TWL)-Welcome to the Wednesday blog, happy to have you join
Wednesday Writing Guest-Kayelle Allen
Time for another Wednesday guest and this week, it’s Kayelle Allen…. TWL-Welcome to the Wednesday blog, happy to have you join us today. Introduce yourself
Wednesday Author Guest-J. Arlene Culiner
It’s Wednesday so that means it’s guest author time. This week, please say hello to J. Arlene Culiner. Welcome to the Wednesday blog, happy to
Marketing Your Books
According to some of my students, writing a story is the easy part. Marketing, (also known as selling your books), is the tough part. Help
Do You Want To Be A Romance Author?
Romance novels… One of the best-selling genres with an often built in readership. Have you thought about writing one? Maybe you’ve written one but keep
March Classes-Promoting without Social Media and Writing and Publishing on a Budget
Time to promote my March classes that I’ll be teaching over at OIWI. The lessons are delivered to your e-mail and you don’t need to
Wednesday Guest Author-Sierra Brave
It’s time for our Wednesday guest author spot and this week say hello to Sierra Brave. This Writer’s Life-(TWL)-Welcome to the Wednesday blog, happy to
Wednesday Guest Author-D.V. Stone
This week’s guest is D.V Stone… This Writer’s Life-(TWL)-Welcome to the Wednesday blog, happy to have you join us today. Introduce yourself and tell us
Plotting Your First Romance Novel Workbook
I’m slowly updating all my writing workbooks and classes and I just finished with the Plotting Your First Romance Novel workbook. If you’re an aspiring
Wednesday Author Guest-Anne Fowler
Please say hello to today’s guest author and it’s Anner Fowler- This Writer’s Life-(TWL)-Welcome to the Wednesday blog, happy to have you join us today.
Plotting Your Novel Workbook
Are you scratching your head trying to figure out how to plot your novel? It’s a common struggle with the majority of my students. So
Wednesday Guest Blogger-Meet Martha O’Sullivan
Today, we’re officially launching the new Wednesday Guest Author spot here at This Writer’s Life. Please welcome Martha O’Sullivan. And please say a thank you
The Fearless Freelancer
Have you ever thought about becoming a freelance writer…yes, even if you’ve only written fiction up till now. That’s the position I found myself in
A Contest and a Market… and Guest Blogger Wednesday Returns…
Hi Everyone, I thought I’d share these two links with you…many of you told me you enjoy ideas for potential markets and contests- sThe first
Writing Classes for 2023
I’m teaching workshops again this year for Outreach International Writers. Here is a listing of the classes I’m offering February through May (I’ll be posting
New Year…lots of New Things
Happy 2023. I have lots planned for this year and thought I’d share them with you. First one, I had a logo made for This
Black Friday Arrives Early for Writers
I’ve got some exciting news to share with you today. Writer’s Craft 4.0 is LIVE NOW! And lucky you, because you’re getting FIRST DIBS on
It’s Been a Long Time
I know it’s been a long time since I posted on This Writer’s Life. I’ve been busy with projects and revamping some of my other
This bundle designed to transform your writing life disappears today…
This is your last chance to save $6,500+ on 50+ writing and self-publishing tools and resources. At 11.59pm EDT on Tuesday, June 14th, Write Publish
Three reasons to stop procrastinating… and write your book
There’s a name for what keeps writers from writing. And it’s not procrastination. It’s worse. Much worse. It’s Catch-22-itis™ It nestles in the space between
Write Smarter. Publish Faster. Profit More.
I’ve got some pretty exciting news to share with you today… I recently joined forces with the amazing team over at Infostack.io to bring you
Brand New FREE guide (writers — don’t miss this!)
Self-publishing isn’t easy, is it? While there’s never been more opportunity to turn your writing into a full-time career (if that’s your goal)……the journey is
Don’t miss the giveaway ($1k+ worth of tools, training, and resources for authors)
 Just a reminder that Infostack is running an awesome giveaway for writers, authors, and self-publishers. You can win over $1,000+ worth of writing software, self-publishing
You Need This…Infostack Writing Bundle Coming Soon
Stay tuned because on June 7th Infostack will be offering the Write Publish Profit 5.0 which is a bundle of incredible resources that every writer
A Chance to Win the Ultimate Writers Giveaway
Would you like to be the grand prize winner of 10 bestselling books for writers, a one on one coaching session, and a year’s free
Don’t Worry About Perfection
The plot isn’t working, my characters are flat, the dialogue is awful…we all hear these words in our heads as we write. It’s normal and
The Writer’s Life Membership
Would you be interested in The Writer’s Life Membership? This is just an idea for now but one I’m considering setting up a membership component
Potential Markets for You
Sometimes finding something to write about or creating a new story is the easy part, finding a market for your work is the tough side
Cyber Monday Sale
It’s Cyber Monday and time for some sales- Head over to www.susanpalmquist.com and use code CyberMonday21 for a 30% discount on all my writing courses
It’s Black Friday and There Are Two Sales Going On!
It’s Black Friday and there’s a sale going on over at my site, www.susanpalmquist.com. Use coupon code BlackFriday21 to save 25% off any writing course
Happy Thanksgiving
I know it’s been a long time since I posted. I’ve been busy with lots of projects and I’ll tell you more about them very
Writing Prompts for September
NaNoWriMo isn’t far away so this month, I thought we’d polish some writing skills ready for this year’s event. Five writing elements…some might be your
Books Don’t Write Themselves
You’ll never get published if you’re not writing and only dreaming about being an author. Don’t talk about writing a book, write a book!
August Writing Prompts
Happy August and it’s time for this month’s prompts. I thought we’d try some visual prompts. Here are five photos and all with a summer
Friday Ramblings-New Ventures
It’s been some time since I’ve written a Friday Ramblings and a few weeks since I’ve posted anything to TWL. I’ve been busy researching new
Side Gigs-Freelance Writing-An Interview with Erin Mahoney
Please welcome Erin Mahoney to This Writer’s Life. She’s one of my private students and the author of Side Hustle Gigs, A Step by Step
July Writing Prompts
It’s July which means new writing prompts. This time I thought we’d do something different and focus on work you’ve already created. Take a scene
Your Why, Discipline, and Motivation
Despite being motivated are you still struggling with your writing? Recently, I’ve had a few private students who are very motivated but for some reason,
Writing Makes a Great Side Gig
Are you thinking about starting a side gig or do you already have one? Are you using your skill as a writer for your side
June Writing Prompts
It’s June and time for a new set of prompts. Have fun and happy writing. Last Line Who would be next? Any Line No cell
Finding Freelance Writing Jobs
One of the key elements to being a successful freelance writing is finding consistent work. When I started out, I’d spend a few hours a
Four Writing Opportunities
I just finished going through today’s e-mails and saw four writing opportunities I thought I’d pass onto you- First one is a short story contest
Writers Need to Be Trend Watchers
Do you study trends? I just finished writing a post over at my other site about how being a trend watcher or a future thinker
Writing a Book-It’s About Mindset
What separates the writer who actually finishes writing a book to the person who just dreams about it? It’s mindset… A few months ago, I
May Writing Prompts
Here are the writing prompts for May. Have fun and happy writing. Objects Place the following object somewhere in your story. Solar powered lawn mower
Set Some Goals
What are your writing goals? Plan your May writing schedule and stick with it!
Friday Ramblings-April Draws to a Close
Can you believe that today is the last one in April? I’m behind on my to do list and one of the reasons for no
Research and Then Write
Wondering why your short story keeps getting rejected? Or maybe what you thought was the perfect idea for a publication still got a no, not
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Easy Ways to Write a Novel
A brief Ramblings as I’m in the middle of a project I want to get done by the end of the day. This week, I
Score Points with Editors
Do you want to increase your chances of an editor requesting to see your manuscript or even getting published? It’s not just down to the
Create a Deadline
Are you working to a deadline even though you don’t have one? This week I published a new class at Skillshare Be a Better Writer-15
Writing is Scary
Writing a book, writing anything can be scary but as this quote says if it wasn’t then it wouldn’t be a goal worth having. This
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Another Month, More Goals? New Goals?
Did you set the goal of writing a book this year? Three months are behind us and have you started writing yet? If the answer
April Writing Prompts
It’s another month which means it’s time for another round of writing prompts. Enjoy and happy writing. Scenario Your character loses their car keys. First
Should You Ever Quit?
You’ve had three rejections in the last month. An agent has just told you that the story you thought was great has lots of flaws.
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Ideas
The last Ramblings of the month. How are your writing goals working out so far this year? It’s a great time to look back at
Step Outside Your Writing Comfort Zone
All too often we get into a comfortable zone. It’s safe, it’s familiar, and why not you say, after all, we’ve worked years just to
Earn Money for Some Quick and Easy Writing
The life of a freelance writer and author isn’t an easy one. It’s not just a time thing, but often a money thing especially when
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Too Busy to Post
My apologies for the lack of posts this week. I’ve had too many projects and now it’s Friday before I even realized it. I got
It’s Not Always Easy
It’s sometimes a struggle to find the energy and time to write, but think about how you’ll feel when you write the last word of
Self Publishing Tool Kit
As many of you know, I have a budget related web site. I have products for sale and many of them are writing related. I’m
Do You Like Podcasts?
I’m way behind with my posts this week. I’m juggling lots of projects and that got me thinking about what happens to our writing when
Monday Motivation-Approach Success
What are you waiting for? If you haven’t already started, this week, get those first words written.
Friday Ramblings From An Author-Many Projects, Little Time
Welcome to March and it’s almost spring. Or maybe it’s almost fall in your part of the world. I had every intention of posting more
March Writing Prompts
It’s time for the March Writing Prompts, enjoy and happy writing. Scenario Your character starts having dreams that seem to be coming true. Fit the
Writing Challenge Day 28-Final Word
You’ve reached the end of the challenge and it might have the same feeling as when you write that final word at the end of
Writing Challenge-Day 27-A Future Author
Maybe you’ve already written a book or maybe during this challenge, you’ve written your very first words or chapter. Writing and getting published takes dedication
Writing Challenge-Day 25-Your Synopsis
Hopefully, by now, you’ve written the first three chapters of your book. Congratulations because lots of people don’t even make it this far. After this
Writing Challenge-Day 25-Chapter Three
Did you get chapters one and two finished? You’ve started on the road to writing a book, you’ve pulled your reader in, built some suspense,
Writing Challenge-Day 24-Chapter Two
Did you manage to get chapter one written? Anything you struggled with? Anything surprise you? Do you need to make adjustments? Let’s keep on writing.
Writing Challenge-Day 23-First Chapter
We’re in the final stretch of the writing challenge. It’s time to start thinking about your story and everything you’ve learned so far. This week
Writing Challenge Day 22-Don’t Hesitate
We’re in the final week of the Writing Challenge. What are your hesitations, what’s holding you back?
Writing Challenge-Day 21-Brainstorming Your Plot
Today, it’s a simple task. Sit down and write down everything you know about your plot. Doesn’t matter if you don’t create complete sentences. Just
Writing Challenge-Day 20-A Chat with Your Character
Some people struggle with plotting while others find creating characters to be their Achilles’ heel. Many times it’s because we don’t know our characters well
Writing Challenge-Day 18-New Genre
This week we’ve been working with the story of the couple who housesit for their friend, Bob, and discover the painting that was stolen from
Writing Challenge-Day 17-First Person
On Tuesday, we began our story based on the short scenario of the couple finding their missing painting in the home of a friend. Yesterday,
Writing Challenge-Day 17-Different POV
Yesterday’s challenge was all about writing the basic story and today, we’re going with a different point of view. Who was your original storyteller? Pick
Writing Challenge Day 16-The Plot Line
Let’s try something different and something that flexes our writing muscles. Here’s an basis for a story and each day we’re going to change things
Writing Challenge-Day 14-Change Things
Yesterday you wrote for 15 minutes. Today it’s going to be 30 minutes. Take yesterday’s work and change it in someway. It could be from
Writing Challenge Day 13-Write for 15 Minutes
We’re heading into week three of the writing challenge and let’s put what we’ve learned about our writing habits and preferences to good use. Set
Writing Challenge Day 12-Final Prompt
Another story prompt to round out Day 12 of this writer’s challenge. Be sure to keep all your writing notes from the week because we’ll
Writing Challenge Day 11-Story Fragment
This week we’ve been focusing on story prompts. Using them as ideas to begin a writing session. We’re also making notes about where we write
Writing Challenge-Day 10-Another Story Prompt
How did you writing day go yesterday? Are you noticing anything about your writing and writing habits. Why not keep a journal and make a
Writing Challenge Day 9-Story Prompt
By now you should have figured out where your most productive writing spot is and whether it’s writing at home, away from home, with keyboards
Writing Challenge-Day 7-Another Writing Space
Yesterday you choose a space to write and today is the second part of the exercise. Today, try another spot for writing. Yesterday, it might
Writing Challenge Day 6-Writing Space One
Today’s challenge is part one of two. Today, you’re going to find someplace to write. It could be in your home or even at a
Writing Challenge Day 5-Description
Today we turn to description for our challenge. Sit by a window…or if it’s warm enough sit outside and write a few paragraphs, (more if
Writing Challenge Day Four-What Works Best for You?
After two days of freewriting. One with pen and paper and the other using keyboards, let’s compare the two methods. Take a look at both
Writing Challenge-Day Three
Yesterday we focused on freewriting with pen and paper. Today we turn to laptops, keyboards… Set your timer for ten minutes and once again freewrite.
Writing Challenge Day Two
Today, set a timer for ten minutes. Pull out a pen and paper and write anything that comes into your head. Doesn’t matter if it
Worried Your Plot Isn’t Unique Enough?
Editors and agents see lots of manuscript each week. Readers see lots of newly self published books each week. So, how do you make yours
More Tips for NaNoWriMo
It’s NaNoWriMo and how are you doing? I thought I’d share with you some more of my favorite tips to help you finish the first
A Major Reason for Getting Rejected
No Tuesday guest blogger this week so thought I’d address a topic that’s been on my mind for several months. While I haven’t done as
Saying Goodbye To My Writing Companion
Tuesday was a day I’d be dreading for a long time. It began not as I’d planned. My tabby cat who was 22 years and
How to Write a Non-Fiction Book in 30 Days
Two posts in one day, but I wanted to let you know that my How to Write a Non-Fiction Book in 30 Days is on