Writers
When Crap Happens: Writing Through Trauma
When my husband and I were trying for our second child, we thought it would be simple because we conceived our first child on the first try. Little did we know the long road we would have to endure ahead. Being the creative person I am, trying to breathe life into my manuscripts and a little human at the same time was the hardest period of my life. It felt like my body was rejecting me at every turn, and so were traditional publishing houses.
#EditingTip: Benefits of Beta Readers & How To Work With Them
Writing a novel isn’t the hardest part; it’s the entire process that can be time-consuming. Editing takes up the biggest chunk of time because it’s more than spell checking and grammar. It’s also getting feedback. Reading your work to yourself isn’t enough. Having additional eyes on our work is one of the most valuable aspects of the editing process.
Good beta readers and critique partners can be hard but not impossible to find. Luckily, social media has opened up a great window of opportunity for writers to connect. Twitter has a dense #writingcommunity that is very supportive. There are also large groups of beta readers and critique partners on Facebook. Joining a group can be very helpful and the first step toward getting more perspectives on your writing.
Don’t Miss Q & A With Author Ken Pisani of AMP’D, A LOL Dramedy Novel
I ran across this article,“Trying To Find An Agent Is The Worst Thing Ever,” and I laughed so hard. I was determined to track down the author, Ken Pisani.
Let’s just say after a few Twitter DMs and emails, we set up a time to meet for coffee, as we’re both L.A. locals. An inspiring author myself, I had to meet the funny man behind the hilariously written article. I found his humility and natural comedic personality refreshing. We sat and had coffee and he answered all of my questions about the writing world and the TV industry. I then ordered Ken’s book AMP’D, an adult commercial dramedy, and absolutely loved it! AMP’D briefly landed on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List and was later nominated for the 2017 Thurber Prize for American Humor, “losing” to Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime. Read the rest of this entry »
The Benefits of Attending A Writer’s Conference: Pitching to Agents & More
One of the obvious benefits of attending a writer’s conference is pitching to agents face to face. An agent even commented during the recent West Coast Writers Conference in Los Angeles that attendees are already ahead of the game, as compared to blind query submissions from writer’s they never met or at least referred to them.
There’s a wealth of information at conference attendees’ disposal. Let’s investigate. Read the rest of this entry »
Finding Time To Blog & Finish That Novel
The most challenging thing I find about being a writer is not so much writer’s block or even completing an 80,000-word novel, as many people assume.
For me, writing a novel is the easy part. But it’s not so simple to revise and rewrite it. Let’s not forget our blogs that require daily, if not, weekly maintenance in order to market ourselves and build our platforms. Working on your novel and building a blogging network at the same time can pose many challenges, not the least of which time management. For example, often when I’m writing a blog post I catch myself thinking, “I should really be working on my book.” Read the rest of this entry »
Writing With Hope 