It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Welcome to the wild winter word marathon known as National Novel Writing Month. Over the next thirty days, thousands of ambitious writers will churn out 50,000 words apiece to earn nothing but bragging rights, a hearty case of sleep deprivation, and hopefully part of a messy first … Continue reading Tips, Tricks, and Tools for NaNoWriMo Fast Drafting
Tag: writing goals
Feeds Don’t Nourish Me: Social Media and Creativity
Social media is overrated for creators. There, I said it. Surprised to hear this from me? I am too, a bit. I spent the last year or so learning how to use social media to promote my books, even sharing a few how-to posts here. Lately, though, I’ve done a lot of reflection on my … Continue reading Feeds Don’t Nourish Me: Social Media and Creativity
Make Creative Space: Shifting Gears to Slow My Roll
Hi, my name is Erin, and I'm bad at taking breaks. Notoriously bad at it. I am anything but a role model for self-care, no matter how many posts I write about it, trying to convince myself otherwise. Exhibit 1: I am about to write a blog post about how I'm giving myself a break … Continue reading Make Creative Space: Shifting Gears to Slow My Roll
Debut No More: Why the Second Book Hits Different
Read on for an excerpt from Cambion's Blood! My debut year has come and gone. In a way, it's nice to be able to say that. There’s so much expectation and pressure wrapped up in first-time authorship. I wrote here extensively about my debut experience. It was a wild year of ups and downs, lessons … Continue reading Debut No More: Why the Second Book Hits Different
It’s Never Too Late (or Early) to Start Your Writing Career
Writing has no age restrictions. This should go without saying. And yet. Every few weeks, it seems, the discourse comes around again. Specifically, it tends to revolve around the age of debut authors in particular. Usually it starts because someone relatively young comments that they feel like they have to get their first book deal … Continue reading It’s Never Too Late (or Early) to Start Your Writing Career
When Writing for Joy Doesn’t Cut It, Rage Is All I Have
For the first time this year, five months into my weekly blogging project, I find I have nothing to say that feels worth saying. Not about writing, anyway. Be warned: it's about to get dark in here. It didn’t help that this week slammed me with a migraine that didn’t respond to meds and from … Continue reading When Writing for Joy Doesn’t Cut It, Rage Is All I Have
Pitch Wars Is Over. Its Legacy Is Just Beginning.
Pitch Wars is dead. Long live Pitch Wars. Last Tuesday's announcement by Brenda Drake, the founder of the Pitch Wars mentorship program, sent shockwaves through all of my writing groups. https://twitter.com/PitchWars/status/1493595439005945856?s=20&t=NSxsdbjgV_CZ9Us3XFm5sg My 2020 alumni chat, now the penultimate mentee class, gathered in our Discord chat for a virtual group hug, expressing sadness, surprise, and gratitude … Continue reading Pitch Wars Is Over. Its Legacy Is Just Beginning.
Time in the Belly: Imbolc Season and Creative Waiting
I've been thinking about time a lot lately. In part, this is because I've been editing a book that centers around a time loop. I also had my birthday this week, which has me reflecting on how time pushes us forward whether we like it or not. In my fourth decade on this earth, the … Continue reading Time in the Belly: Imbolc Season and Creative Waiting
Mindful Querying: Seven Precepts For the Trenches
At first glance, mindfulness and the so-called "query trenches" don't seem to go together. The prospect of querying agents doesn't naturally evoke a sense of calm among writers. Instead, it can spark anxiety, dread, imposter syndrome, fatigue, and disappointment. If that's how you feel about querying, you're not alone. With that in mind, I have … Continue reading Mindful Querying: Seven Precepts For the Trenches
Big Publishing News and 2022 Writing Goals
The first week of January has been more eventful than expected! Because of that, this week's blog is a news and notes post. I will also share my 2022 writing goals, as I didn't want to get too specific last week before Cambion Book 2 was officially announced. Now that the Publisher's Marketplace announcement is … Continue reading Big Publishing News and 2022 Writing Goals