It’s a title prompt this week. For those of you writing a short story, the title is… The Road Less Traveled What does that mean to your character? Are they about to embark on a journey? Is it somewhere new or some place they return to often? For those wanting to journal, what does…
Author: This Writer's Life
Self-Publishing is a Gift To Writers (and let’s not forget it)
I’ve been talking about my summer reading list and how I didn’t finish three of the books. I chose another three and today, gave up reading the first one on this new list. Please excuse me if I now climb onto my soapbox. I can’t say for sure if all the books on my didn’t read…
Monday Motivation-Nothing’s a Mistake
Let’s use this quote by Tina Fey to remind us to learn from our writing mistakes. We all make them. Sometimes they’re pointed out by our critique partners or editors. They don’t make us any less of the wonderful writers that we are…unless of course, we don’t do something to fix them. Use mistakes…
Friday Ramblings From An Author-My Summer Reading List Update
For the first time in years, I’ve completed my summer reading list and yes, way ahead of schedule. However, I didn’t finish three of the books on my list. I’m adding three more so I can say that I read ten books this summer. I re-released a back title. The third in my Kalispell Shifter…
Switching Genres
Here’s today’s guest blogger Rhonda Gilmour telling us why she switched genres… Until 2017, I was one of those readers–looking down my nose at romance for the usual stupid reasons: too corny, too predictable, too fluffy. Not that I had any grounds for being a snob since my first three (as yet unpublished) novels were cozy mystery…
Wednesday Writing/Journal Prompts-Out The Window
This week’s prompt is all about a window. For a short story, what does your character see when he or she looks out of the window? Something they shouldn’t? Something beautiful? Someone they like or have a crush on? Do they go outside or stay indoors and spy from afar? For journaling…look out the window…
How To Stand Out From The Crowd
I probably don’t need to tell you that being a writer is a competitive business. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, it’s a crowded pursuit. I remember talking to a fellow freelance writer and he said something that stuck with me even to this day. Writers are just like dogs all going after the…
Monday Motivation-I’m My Own Writer
I’ve had students who have given up because they felt they didn’t write as well as their favorite author. When we compare ourselves to people who have been practicing their skill or trade for a long time, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment. Writing is a skill that takes a long time to master, and master well….
Friday Ramblings From An Author-The Heat Goes On
Another hot humid day…you’ve probably guessed that neither freezing cold temperatures or humidity are my favorite weather terms. As I always say, look for a silver lining and both mean indoor time writing or reading. And yes, if I’m being honest, watching Netflix too. This week the short story class kicked off and I’ve…
The Journey To Becoming A Writer
Here’s today’s guest blogger, Alice Renaud, to share her story of how she became a writer… My journey to become a published writer was a long one. Thirty-three years long, to be precise. It started when I wrote my first story aged fourteen. It was a sprawling, way-too-ambitious fantasy saga, set in a world that…