Much has been written about the soul-crushing, trauma-inducing terror of the blank page. How does one stare it down and get through the first draft? Here are some things that have worked for me: 1. Start with an outline. I know that dedicated pantsers may vehemently disagree. But for me, one of the things I love about an outline is its inherently imperfect format that removes the need for flawless…
If you’re looking for some real pro tips on author branding and promotion, I’m going to point you to Lainey Cameron who has some of the best advice out there. I especially recommend the panel she moderated at AWP 2021 called Debuting During a Disaster with four other incredible authors and marketing geniuses including Lisa Braxton (a Former Debutante!), Eddy Boudel Tan, Barbara Conrey, and Linda Rosen. As for me,…
During this year of being a Deb, I’ve gotten to interview a ton of authors. One thing a lot of folks have in common is being avid readers as kids. And by avid, I mean flashlight-under-the-covers, reading-while-walking and will-read-cereal-boxes-if-nothing-else-is-around sorts of readers. Me too! One of my funniest childhood reading memories is being suddenly startled to realize I was all alone in our school library. I’d become so engrossed in…
First, a few classics: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is what helped me turn off my internal critic and editor so I could write, freely, every single day. On Writing by Stephen King is a refreshingly honest look inside the life, practice, and experiences of one of our most prolific writers. It includes tons of straightforward advice about what works and what doesn’t. Save the Cat by Blake Snyder….
I’m all about milestones and celebrations! Life can be hard and is always too short so sneaking in as much joy as possible sometimes feels like an important part of resistance. Birthdays in my household start with breakfast in bed. April Fools Day pranks have included cars believed stolen, fake notices of academic failure, and flocks of Barbies invading the office. And for added fun and pleasure, I started the…
This month, we’re talking about favorite scenes to write and, honestly, it’s hard to choose. I love writing so many scenes and all for different reasons! First of all, I love writing about real live places that I miss because it’s a way of visiting. My current WIP includes a chapter set in the Kahrizak Charity Foundation in Iran where I spent many hours among its wonderful doctors, social workers,…
Nancy Johnson joined us this week to talk about her upcoming novel, THE KINDEST LIE, coming out in February. Read Denny’s interview with Nancy here. Also this week, Lyn interviewed Denise Williams, author of HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING. Watch the interview at our Instagram page. And finally a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Denny. O the Oprah Magazine named WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES one of 2021’s most anticipated historical novels….
Today’s topic is about the books and authors that have inspired me to write. But the authors I most admire never inspire me to write. Mostly they inspire me to keep turning the pages of their wondrous, luminous books. And then, when I dive back into my own work, I’m paralyzed by waves of shame and insecurity as I know I’ll never produce anything so perfect. Writing is hard! There’s…
Today’s topic is Tips For New Writers. Here are four suggestions based on things I did (or wish I’d done!) along the way from inspiration to publication. 1. Have some very generous friends read as you write. If you’re writing a novel, that is a long journey with a lot of work and a lot of rejection. You’re going to need encouragement along the way. Now is not the time…
So this is how Thursday went for me: 6am Yoga (yay! Got my exercise in) 7:30am Doing dishes leftover from last night when I was too. Tired. 8:00am Signed into work; how do we grow the bike movement today? (Note: still haven’t showered; Figure I’ll squeeze it in between meetings) 8:30am Text from Lyn: “Hi Ehsaneh – just wanted to remind you that today was your day to post about…
