A lot of writers I meet talk about how they aren't sure they can write because they have ADHD, dyslexia, or various other learning disorders, neurological conditions, or other such difficulties that impact their ability to write. With that in mind, I thought I'd write about how I do it because I am neurodivergent and...Read More

Let me start this by saying I’m not an expert. However, I have been doing a lot of research leading up to my forthcoming book at the end of this year, and the experts I have listened to, talked to, and followed have all said about the same things. I’m not going to get into...Read More

When should you hire an editor? The real answer, at the end of the day, is: It depends. Where you are in the writing process tells you what kind of editing you want and who to look for.Read More

I come across writers all the time who are bucking "the system" and posting rebellious tweets or Facebook messages about how they'll keep their adverbs in (thank you very much) and how much they hate editors and how much they're keeping very single dang comma. As you may have come to expect from me, I'm...Read More

Queries are a hard part of writing, but there are a few things you absolutely must get correct to avoid being sent the dreaded form rejection letter everywhere. While I'm not saying you'll absolutely be accepted if you avoid these mistakes, your likelihood of acceptance is vastly higher.Read More

racter doesn't mean you need to know their blood type, childhood nicknames, and the name of every romantic partner they've ever had (unless it's relevent to the story). Creating a realistic character means they have to act like a human being--which means they'll have flaws, strengths, and desires.Read More

Many writers struggle with description. I recently had a manuscript that, in the same chapter, suffered from over-description and under-description. The author told the reader every inch of the main character’s morning routine in intimate detail and then didn’t describe the setting whatsoever. The balance of describing things is difficult because we are told over...Read More

I’ve been gone awhile due to my health, but I’m hopefully back now. I’m going to write once or twice a week until I find my stride again, but I haven’t abandoned the blog. Life has just been distracting me from my work here. So, this particular subject created a hotbed of contention in a...Read More

My triumphant return commences today. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long, but between my husband’s health and my health we had the snot kicked out of us the last week. The good news is my husband is recovering, and I’m just waiting for the weather to break so I can return to my normal...Read More

I recently had a friend contact me about how to develop characters. He was worried all his characters are too much like him, and what he does to divorce them from him turns them into a farce of themselves. This is something writers struggle with, I’m sure, and character development and growth is tough. It’s...Read More