In conversations with authors, I frequently hear the following queries: “I can’t get my characters to speak to me.” “I just don’t know how to coax my characters out of the shadows.” “How do I go deeper with my character’s voice and find their motivations?” These are valid struggles that every writer has—including me—whether
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked as an editor and book coach is: how do you start writing a book? It’s an excellent question! My desire here is for aspiring authors to know there are great tools for drafting your first book. How do you make the most of your writing time? What
“Publishing is show business for shy people.” A literary agent announced at Writer’s Workshop’s (now Jericho Writers) 2013 Getting Published Day in London. I thought, “Is this true? If so, how do we talk to people about the books we’ve spent years slaving over?” I was bombarded, in that one day conference, by a
I find quite a few new novelists (new= those who’ve written between 0-3 novels) being impatient with the process of drafting, collaboration and publication. You’ve got a story, it’s ripe and ready for hungry readers. Why should you be patient in a “hurry up and wait industry?” Everyday I meet with authors around the
Why Patience and Persistence Benefits You as an Author Read More »
Last year an author told me that it was hard for him to dig deep with his characters because he wasn’t a very deep person. I’ve thought about this a lot as I meet with new authors as well as seasoned ones that yearn for their characters to leap off the page and into the
Take a vacation from the real-world and join me at Armadillo Con this weekend! We Are Austin covered the conference in the following news broadcast this week. There are over 170 programming items to choose from and the opportunity to learn from the best in SFF! I’ve posted my programming schedule above as well as
I remember attending my first publishing conference in London, as an author in 2013, and reeling from information overload. It wasn’t only that I needed to process all the information, advice and conflicting feedback, it seemed all my research on the internet about the publishing process was a lot more off the mark than
There are days when I show up to the page- more of them lately- and it’s a grind. I know I have to do it, because I see that I’ve marked up my writing calendar with how many chapters I need to revise a day and I’ve been working on Orphan Pods for so
What I’m listening to: Simi’s “Duduke” The sound of the muezzin wakes me before dawn most mornings in Senegal, West Africa. Whether it’s crackling from the speakers in Dakar, or echoing across the earth-coloured one and two story houses in Ziguinchor, that call to prayer anchors me as the sweltering, shimmering heat swells with the day
I’ve decided to challenge myself this year and endeavor to learn a new dance that I’m completely unfamiliar with: Brazilian Zouk! Several months ago as I stood with the other beginners, anxious to be with the advanced dancers further up in the giant dance space at Inspired Movement, I reminded myself to slow down, breathe