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. This…
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Lately, I’ve been really into all these Twitter writing contests. And learned that while I love a good photo on Instagram, Twitter with it’s purely wordy platform is where it’s at. This could be why I have more Twitter followers and why I’m still figuring out being a writer on Instagram. I’ve also been entering writing contests like crazy. For months I’ve been pitching, querying and entering. And here’s what I learned. If you’re new to the entering Twitter and writing contests game, you’ll want to read this. You need to get your ducks in order way before the deadline. Sometimes…
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Guest post by: Level Up author Rochelle Melander My first book came out twenty years ago. For years I’ve juggled coaching, editing, writing, teaching, parenting, and having a life. And even though I’ve gotten better at managing my time, I’m finding it increasingly more difficult to get it all done. My clients face the same struggles. As they strive to run their businesses as coaches, consultants and freelance writers as well as building a platform and promoting their books—they struggle to find time to write. Why is it so hard? Writers have always had to manage writing and promoting. Most…
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Here’s my secret confession. In order for me to get up to write every day, to post here or submit manuscripts weekly I need to be inspired. Sometimes that comes from watching Super Soul Sunday or listening to anything on Sounds True. Other times it comes from the writers I follow on social media. She’s one of them. And today, I’m excited to share with you another. Natalia and I met virtually about a decade or so ago. She was one of the first writers I got to know and someone who I continue to cheer for on the sidelines.…
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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 book,…
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Do you know the mirage? The place that looks like a gorgeous lake, but is really a glorified puddle? This is everything we post on social media-the fancy writer gig, our new book, and all the writer activities we’re apart of. It’s all nice and sparkling. Everyone watching wants to jump right in. The problem with mirages is that they’re not real. Perhaps, all of that is true. But it puts observers on the outside, it separates us, and makes us feel alone. If you pan out from the image, you’d see that we’re all watching the mirage-that vast magical…
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Full disclosure here. A professor once told me I’d be a professional student and I didn’t prove him wrong. I still take oodles of writing courses from the comfort of my home. And one thing I’ve been hearing a ton from literary agents are all the true and shocking stories of writers who write obnoxious things in response to their rejection letters. Please if you’re a reader here, new or old, do not end of being one of those writers. I know I’m guilty of hitting the reply button too soon, but accusing agents of not reading my work or…
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Just this Thanksgiving, I sent out a silent prayer of thanks for an inbox void of rejection letters. Guess what I received a few hours later? Thank you agent for taking time from your busy holiday schedule to decline my manuscript! In my writer’s critique group, I am the only one who has sent over a 100 submissions with not one acceptance letter. Yet, I continue to work on my craft every single day. Am I crazy? I just have faith that with time and hard work, I’ll eventually get there. But even I lose hope every once in awhile.…
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I haven’t done this in awhile so a lot of what’s here is entirely new. If you have a friend or family member who is a writer (Psssttt…these are all great gifts for yourself), they may appreciate one of these writerly Christmas gifts this year. For writers who write for children: SCBWI membership is not cheap. It’ll cost you about $95 or $65 for students. But the Society of Children Book Writers & Illustrators offers great workshops, information and other resources for writers who are serious about writing for children. For all writers at any stage: Writer Digest or The Writer…
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It’s a story I seldom tell, but needs to be told… I got a degree in English, but never believed I could actually make a profession out of it so I squandered those early years taking whatever job looked intriguing and didn’t require experience. Every afternoon, I’d pull out the jobs section of the newspaper and became everything from an usher to a research assistant and even a private investigator. Looking back, there were oodles of gems to pull from. All those late nights with my homemade burrito wrapped in foil surveying the area for criminal activity or working retail…