Whether you’re in a workshop group, volunteering as a beta reader, or helping out a fellow writer as a critique partner, the art of giving a constructive writing critique is very important. All writers need input on their writing, and your feedback will be most effective if you give some thought to how you frame and deliver it. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate degree, workshops were a vital part of my education. I’ve also developed my practice through six years or so as a beta reader/critique partner for numerous writers. Below are the three ways I’ve learned to best give...
Do you have a writer friend? Have you ever tried to write a joint story, or ever wanted to? Over the past four months, my friend Anneka Freeman and I have been cranking out a first draft for a dual project (mostly just for fun, but we’ll see). Keeping separate copies of the story on separate hard drives can get messy, so we opted to use Google Docs (even though we are both avid Scrivener fans). Below are some of our tips for how to use Google Docs to the max! Make a System The most important principle to any...
There are approximately 24,594 articles and blog entries out there about traditional vs. indie publishing, so if you’re looking for that debate this post won’t help you much. Instead, I’ve focused on hunting up some good links to give you the low-down on what you might need to know about how traditional publishing works. From publishing house basics to tips on researching literary agents, these links will help you get educated about the traditional publishing journey. Enjoy! 1. How a Book Gets Published For a first time author, a book generally starts with a completely finished and polished manuscript for...
I thought I’d take a little trek down Memory Lane via Sentimental Highway and talk a bit about my writing journey. My family has a home video of me at age three telling a story in an unintelligible Southern accent about pink dogs (my mom translates in the video, which is the only reason we can understand it now). So basically: I’ve been telling stories since I could talk. Growing up, Dad read to me and my siblings every night—you know, the light stuff like Lord of the Rings (three times between the span of me being 7-13) and Once...
About a month ago, I had an email from my course leader for the MA Writing for Young People, Julia Green. She told me that I had been selected as valedictorian, and asked if I would be able to make it back across the Pond for graduation. I had composed a very gracious reply that basically said I couldn’t possibly afford it, but before I hit send I walked downstairs to tell my mom, figuring she would probably be pretty excited. Our conversation: Me: I had an email from Julia Green. Mom: [on phone texting] Mhm. Me: She said I’m...
Last July, I volunteered to co-edit the Bath Spa University MA Writing for Young People anthology with Irulan Horner. I don’t think either of us realized quite how much work we’d be doing, though we were warned. Over the last ten/eleven months, I’ve worked from afar extensively with our mail-out team, developed a website and social media strategy with Lindsay Schiro, and edited, edited, edited the little book that became Beautiful Lies. (Also, I’m going to humbly approach the #bragtable and mention that the title was my idea – based on a David Almond quote – and I am very...
Young writers are awesome. Talking to them makes me excited all over again about my projects — and theirs! If you want to encourage a young writer in your life, bribery gifts are always appreciated. These can be great for birthdays, Christmas, or even something like CampNaNoWriMo(*), which just so happens to be around the corner. Here’s a wishlist to help you celebrate the young (and average-aged) writer(s) in your life: Pilot Varsity pack on Amazon 1. Fancy Pens There’s nothing quite like having fancy pens, especially fancy colorful pens. Pilot Varsity offers an assortment of disposable fountain pens that won’t break the...
My 10 Writing Resources: Characters was the beginning of a series where I compile some of my favorite creative writing links from around the web. Here I present the second post of the series: 10 writing resources I like to keep in mind while I’m drafting. From tools to keep your creativity churning to the basic elements of dialogue and POV, these links will help you get through your first draft. Enjoy! 1. The What If: A List Method for Getting Unstuck It’s inevitable that at some point in the writing process, we’re going to get stuck. Even for...
I primarily enjoy writing (and reading) fantasy. It’s wonderful when your head is full of another world, with all the culture and worldbuilding attached. But getting necessary information about this crazy awesome world across to your reader can be hard. Really, really hard. The best worldbuilding is done in a steady trickle, so soft the reader doesn’t really know how they know the information. I’m not there yet. Instead of a gently flowing, melodious stream, I often find myself taking a hammer to my readers’ brains and being like, “NOTICE THIS, IT’S IMPORTANT.” This, my friends, is an infodump. An...
There comes a point in every writer’s journey where every idea, every sentence, every word seems to suck. When writing is no longer sunny meadow frolicking, but the Cliffs of Insanity. The first thing to do is remind yourself: Every writer ever in the history of the world has been where you are. Everyone has hated their writing at some point. Or multiple points. Or pretty much all the points. So. Keep that in mind. Give yourself permission to suck. That’s what it’s all about. But if you are desperate for new ways to move forward, there are some methods...
