liminal spaces and space heroines
Welcome back to week 3 of the Writer in Motion event, in which a too-busy-by-choice author attempts to make sense of the ALL VIBES NO PLOT words that sprang from her own head... This week, the participants in the challenge were assigned a small critique partner group and exchanged stories. My CPs all brought their … Continue reading Writer in Motion 2021, Week 3: CP Edits
"I just couldn't connect with your story": it's the death knell of any querying author's hopes and dreams. But what does that mean? How to create that elusive connection? It requires more than a compelling character or intriguing plot. It’s about the why of it all—the emotional core of the story. As with every post … Continue reading Write Deeper: Deep POV, Voice, and Emotion
Welcome back to Week 2 of Writer In Motion! This week, participating writers self-edit the first draft posted last week. Next week, we'll work with critique partners to hone the story further before working with editors in Week 4. One of the goals this week for me was to cut words until the story met … Continue reading Writer in Motion 2021, Week 2: Self-Edit
Sometimes, writing inspiration seems to come through you in a near-revelatory process. But what happens when you finish transcribing, but you still don’t know exactly what the story is trying to say? I’m about to find out, because that’s exactly what has happened with this first stab at my Writer In Motion short. This story...whew. … Continue reading WIM 2021: Unedited First Draft
Writing a novel is a marathon, not a sprint. It demands sustained effort and motivation--even when the fickle muse has taken off for an extended vacation, the dishes need doing, and a thousand social media posts are vying for your limited attention. Not many of us have the privilege of writing full time, without distractions … Continue reading How to Grow a Sustainable Writing Habit
IT HAS BEGUN. I'm so excited to get started with this year's Writer In Motion event! Writer in Motion 2020 spurred me to create this blog and was basically my introduction to the online writing community. I had so much fun participating and learned a ton from the process, even though I signed up too … Continue reading Writer In Motion 2021: The Prompt
Writing by "the seat of your pants" is out of fashion. But what if, for me, that's where the magic happens? By "pantsing," of course, I don't mean the juvenile prank of pulling down an unsuspecting victim's pants. I'm talking about the drafting style known more accurately as "discovery writing" or "intuitive writing," which is … Continue reading The Joy of “Pantsing” It
Who am I to write this post, anyway? Ironically, that's the thought running through my head right now. It's not like I have any secret formula for defeating impostor syndrome. But I do experience it frequently, and I'm not alone. Discussions and expressions of impostor syndrome come up in all of my writing groups, and … Continue reading Writing Through It: On Impostor Syndrome
February 1 marked the end of the Pitch Wars revisions period for the 2020 cohort. After two and a half months of hard work, I had rewritten about 70% of my manuscript, eliminated at least five minor characters (RIP) and three unique settings (subsurface ocean planet, someday I will return to you!), completely reworked two … Continue reading My Top Five Pitch Wars Revision Lessons
Well, that's a wrap! The Writer in Motion 2020 blog project draws to a close this week, and though I'm now swamped with revisions for Pitch Wars (not to mention wedding planning) I have to say that I'm a bit sad that this communal adventure in story-telling and editing is over. A month ago when … Continue reading #WriterInMotion Week 5: Final Thoughts
(let your word babies fly, baby fly)
Thinking Through my Keyboard
A blog about writing and publishing
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(sometimes known as Jessica may Lin)
sci-fi + fantasy author
Let your words free you 💫
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Stories of Wonder
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