Observe. Listen. There is value in every writer’s words, seasoned or novice. There aren’t stupid questions so ask them. Knowledge equals growth. Act on the afforded understanding, follow the path, and seize the opportunities even if they differ from your vision. Be humble. Accept all work offered because it leads to more opportunities. Write at […]
When I struggle with writing, I say to myself: write from where you are. It’s a reminder to accept where I am in my writing life and let go of frustration over not being somewhere — or someone — else. When you feel the same way, think about where you are and be there. Feeling […]
A friend recently asked me how to make disjointed memories come together when writing about her grandmother, who died when my friend was twenty. “What question are you trying to answer about your grandmother?” I asked. When crafting creative nonfiction, it’s common to begin with vivid glimpses of memory that compel us to the page. […]
Take a digital writing detox every so often. Using pen and paper forces you to slow down, to consider the words you are using. It’s an act of mindfulness in our busy, instant, electronic world—no distracting notifications jump from a page. Pen and paper are markers of time, memory makers and re-connectors. Remember how they […]
Words matter. Story matters. Your story matters. Tell yourself this exactly 8,214 times a day. Be willing to write poorly. Expect to write poorly. When you think you have a decent draft, take a break. Then, go back and try to cut the word count by half. Even if you don’t keep the cuts, this […]
Recently, Michelle Glogovac interviewed Jennie Nash for our May/June issue (On Book Coaching: A Conversation with Jennie Nash). Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator and the author of 11 books in 3 genres, including Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out and Blueprint for a Book: Plan and Pitch Your Big Idea. […]
“Try to recapture that childlike state, when you wrote just for the sake of it, without concern for whether anyone outside of yourself will like it, publish it, or favorably review it. Write down every little idea that comes to you, no matter how silly it may seem, even if you don’t know what you […]
“Read authors you enjoy and those that challenge you. Engage with a writing community, in person or virtually — classes, critique groups, local events, social media or coffee with a writer friend. This, more than anything, will help you hone your craft. Be adventurous with medium and form. If you usually write by longhand, compose […]
“Read. Read the voices of those you want to talk to. Read the conversations you want to be a part of. Read one new thing every day, or every week. I say it’s ok to skip the classics. Find your contemporaries. What can you add to this conversation, through your own experiences and talents? Go […]
“When inspiration strikes, stop everything and write. But don’t wait for inspiration, and learn to hold ideas, words, whole paragraphs in your head, just in case. Make, beg, or steal time–from your job, your hobbies, your sleep–and write, whether it’s fifteen minutes a day or an hour once a week; find the time and use […]
“I’m the worst with writing advice. A masochist, at best. Hard on myself. Critical. But I do, maybe, have some advice: be slow and deliberate. Let ideas stew. Nobody’s waiting! You’re waiting for yourself to connect disparate threads. The result might be gorgeously horrific or inspiring, whatever your purpose. Give yourself that time to think, […]