Tweet In the 14 years that I’ve been writing professionally, I’ve had many ups and downs, as well as yikes and oops moments! It’s pretty much a part of my daily regime and definitely a huge slice of my writing journey. I love sharing all the embarrassing faux pas I’ve made because I want to pass down the wisdom to you. So you don’t make the same mistakes as I have. Here’s hoping. That’s why I pulled together a list of things I’ve done. Some were understandable errors and others I wished I had known better. But all have taught…
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Tweet I’m a big fan of nonfiction books. At any time of year, there’s a teetering tower of books on my nightstand. I love reading everything from health and healing to writing craft books. No matter what I read, I can parse something to my writing life and every word seems to wind itself into my prose. I’m also taking 7 courses and homeschooling. In fact, I wrote about it in an article for ASJA this month. With all the information I’m garnering, I thought I’d share a few pearls of wisdom from experts that offer a fresh perspective…
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Tweet I’m going to share a weird secret about myself… I call myself an author even though I haven’t been published yet. I only tell this to myself and my husband because I know the word author comes with years of hard work and rejection, which I haven’t yet earned. But I’ll tell you why I think of myself this way. Seeing myself as an author dictates the decisions I make. It motivates me when my inbox is quiet. It prepares me for the opportunity if and when it should arise. It silences the voices that say you’re not good…
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Tweet Usually when writers blog it’s because they’re already published or about to be. But I’m blogging in real time, before I’m an author or agented so you can know what the journey is really like. Here’s the truth of it. While there have been wonderful news like having my first children’s story published with audio and illustrations to boot, an article in ASJA magazine and an essay published in spring for a journal I’m super excited to eventually share, there have been rejections. Or no news. My 2020 PBChat mentorship has ended and I haven’t left with an agent…
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Tweet I was interviewing another writer who shared the same insight that I had this year. That with everything else that has combusted in 2020 (vacation plans, truth in government, belief in humanity) one thing stood out as being the lone win. For once in my writing life, the whining insecure I’m not a real writer was shot, and a real-er more likable writer took her place. Somehow while everything else went down the drain, my self-esteem came out intact. Not only that, but I gained the balls to query places and apply to opportunities that I would no way…
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Tweet There’s legitimate fear in the air and it’s not just for us anxiety prone writers. Yes working at home and cancelled events may give you more time to work on your novel, but it’s also being monopolized by worries: Financial, Health, Familial. While I don’t have the magic wand to dissolve our global fear right now, I can offer solutions and maybe even hope, which is not readily available these days. I know. I’ve looked. So here it is. It might not be much. But I hope it helps a little. Turn off the news and limit social media. …
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Tweet I follow her on social media and she’s someone who constantly inspires and impresses me with her publishing success. When she reached out about her upcoming nonfiction book, I was eager to feature her on Author Q&A. She happily agreed. I think you’ll enjoy our conversation. It’s real insight into what it’s like to be an author of both fiction and nonfiction. You’re no stranger to authoring a book. You have two successful novels out, All Different Kinds of Free and 2018 Arizona Book of the Year Peculiar Savage Beauty. But this March you’re coming out with a nonfiction…
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Tweet I haven’t blogged here in awhile. Mostly because I’ve been working on my crazy ambitious goal of publishing essays, picture books, a middle grade novel and adult novel (saved for someday). So far, I haven’t been that successful. But I thought I’d document my process here. What I have been successful at is learning about the process. For example, part of my work includes reading books like The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea at the Right Time by Allen Gannett. While reading it, I recognized a few surprising truths that make picture books successful and can help…
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Tweet I had the honor of attending the Wanderlust Festival on Oahu this week. It’s only my second time in the five years that we’ve been living here. Having gone again made me wonder why I don’t make it out there every year, and then I remember the price and how far the drive is. But this one was definitely worth it. While Wanderlust is primarily a yoga festival and I was in my yoga pants, I did not do a stitch of exercise. The most I did was walk near the ocean during our lunch break. But what I…
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Tweet Guest post by: Tara Mandarano I’m staring at the stain-glass tower on the church outside my bedroom window when my five-year-old daughter bursts in. It’s after school, post after care, and I am exactly where she so often finds me: lying in bed, curled up with pillows, painkillers and my rose-gold computer, writing. She is my muse and my teacher, challenging and charming at the same time, and I have been chronicling our lives together for over three years now. It’s not easy putting your private life out there for public consumption, but there is no better way for…