Have you ever set a goal, like writing a book, but it you never achieve it? One thing I’ve found is writing down my goals can be a key to sucess. No one gets to see them, but somehow putting them down on paper makes it seem like you’re sharing your goal with the world. It’s…
Author: This Writer's Life
Five Markets/Contests for Writers and Authors
I thought I’d go with a different type of post for this one. When I was starting out as both an author and freelance writer I was always looking for markets and contests to enter so I thought I’d share this with you. Here are details of markets and contests I’ve recently been sent information…
Wednesday Writing Prompts-Message in a Bottle
For this writing prompt it’s all about a message in a bottle. Is your character the one who finds the bottle? Maybe they’re the one who writes the message? What is written on the sheet of paper? Is it something romantic or was it written as an SOS? When was it written and how…
Working through the roadblocks by author Seelie Kay
Are you experiencing a roadblock with your story or writing in general? Here’s Seelie Kay to show us how she works through it. “Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say?” ― Kurt Vonnegut While I have never…
Monday Motivation-Consequences
I thought I’d share with you something I included in a today’s lesson for one of my workshops. I told the students they should set a writing schedule. Even write something on their calendar like ‘writing time’. Treat it like you would any other important appointment and think about the consequences if you miss…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Spring…no, make that Christmas
Can you tell from the title of this post that it’s back to winter? A foot of snow earlier in the week and today, howling winds and temps in the 20s. I’m pretty sure this time last year I was sitting outside to write a few Friday Ramblings. I’m guessing we’re going to skip spring…
Say What You Mean AKA Writing Bloopers
Fingers are flying across the keyboards, the muse has taken over and you’re in the zone. That’s great, that’s what we want but sometimes the excitement about writing something truly wonderful can make you all too eager to hit the send button or press, publish. Yes, I’ve done it. I’ve been guilty of it as both a freelance…
Wednesday Writing Prompts-Lost and Found
This prompt focuses on lost keys. Is your character the person who loses the keys or finds them? Where were they lost or found? Out on a trail, public transportation, grocery store maybe? What lock do the keys fit? Car, house, deposit box? What’s the character’s reaction when they either discover they’re lost or…
Take Off Your Pants-An Interview with Libbie Hawker
Authors should never stop learning (at least that’s what I think). and last year I bought a copy of a book called Take Off Your Pants. Now if you’re puzzled by the title let me say it’s all about plotting and it’s one of the best I’ve ever read on the topic. I enjoyed…
Monday Motivation-Courage
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ― Winston S. Churchill I thought this quote from Winston Churchill can be applied to the writing life. Sometimes we fail, we write terrible first drafts, the muse is lost and we get rejection letters. However, it’s having the courage and…