I’m very pleased to 📣 announce I’ll be teaching 2 sessions and critiquing manuscripts at this year’s ✍🏻 Philadelphia Writing Workshop ✍🏻 on November 23rd. Sign up for an all-star cast of teachers and agents!
writing
A Quick & Easy Guide To Twitter Writing Events in 2019
This is the list I put together for myself, and I’m happy to share with you. I’ll come back and add as I find new hashtags, I promise.
Pitch Hashtags:
When submitting a pitch, do not favorite anyone else’s pitch. Favoriting is for agents and editors. If your pitch has been favorited, check the publisher/agent’s website for submission guidelines before submitting, and be sure to mention that you were favorited in #[WhateverPit].
#DVPit (for diverse books) Upcoming Dates: 4/23: Children’s/YA 4/24: Adult readers runs again in Oct. Update here.
#PitDark (horror/mysteries) May & Oct – no official dates yet. Update here. Continue reading
Stephen King: 14 Tips On Writing
Sometimes Just A (Foreign) Word Will Do
Last week, I came across the word “Mamihlapinatapai.” This word exists in the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego and is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as the “most succinct word”, and is widely considered one of the hardest words to translate.
The basic gist of it is this: Continue reading
A Writing Tip That (Oddly) Worked For Me: Use Comic Sans
I saw this tip on Reddit and hell if it doesn’t work. Change the font on your manuscript to Comic Sans.
First, it makes it easier on the eyes (Comic Sans is known to be a ‘friendly’ font for those with dyslexia), but it honest-to-God forces you to look at the manuscript differently. It turns it new-ish and sort of reroutes your brain because you know this just ain’t right.
I can’t explain how it works, really. I only know it does. Some divine acts you simply shouldn’t question.
So give it a try, and I’ll leave you with this.
What’s Up Wednesday: The New Year Edition
It’s officially 2019. Time for new writing goals.
Big Yikes.
I have a lot to do this year, writing-wise, and coming off the shitstorm that was 2018, I’ve got my work cut out for me. But I’m up to it. Here is the tentative always-subject-to-change list of writer goals for the year: Continue reading
I Did The Thing And Bought The Tee-Shirt!
NaNoProcrastinator Extraordinaire – That’s Me!
NaNoWriMo is in full swing and I got waylaid by an overnight trip to the hospital. It’s all okay now, just an overnight observation thing in the wake of a medication issue, but it’s been a few days now and I’m really having trouble getting back in the groove.
This is one of those times where you just have to take yourself firmly in hand and hammer it out. I know that. And I’ll get there. Continue reading
NaNoNoNoNoNoooooooooooo
Wrote nearly 2200 words last night. Cat jumped on my keyboard. All was lost.
Save your work, kids. Don’t get so far into the zone that you don’t SAVE. YOUR. WORK.
Dammit.
When You Find A Wonderful (But Unusual) Source For Your Book
There I was, clipping along, the book almost done, when I hit the motherlode.
Yes, I’m writing a book that features a wonderfully sarcastic and witty Irish character. He happens to be a modern-day ghost of an ancient bard, so he’s got a lot of stories to tell. Being Irish, he tells them with great flair – of course. Continue reading
