Every writer I know has one: a scene that sits quietly in the corner of the draft, waiting. The one you keep skipping. The one you keep meaning to come […]
How Much Backstory Is Too Much? A Writer’s Guide
One of the most common challenges writers face (especially in early drafts) is figuring out how much backstory is too much. The impulse to explain our characters and their histories […]
Do You Have to Say What Year Your Book Is Set In?
At some point in the drafting process, often when revising or thinking ahead to querying, a very practical question comes up: Do I have to say what year my book […]
When Is a Story Ready to Submit?
Submitting your writing to literary journals can feel like standing in front of a room full of strangers and reading your diary out loud. That moment when you hit “send” […]
How to Find Your Way Through the Messy Middle
There is a special type of despair reserved for writing the middle of a book. The beginning had energy. The ending, at least in theory, has momentum. But the middle? […]
How to Handle Emotionally Complex Character Arcs
You want your characters to feel real. You want depth, nuance, transformation. You want readers to recognize themselves or people they know and feel something. But when you start writing […]
How Mindfulness Can Make Writing Feel Easier
I want to dispel a common misconception: mindfulness for writers isn’t about clearing your mind or becoming some perfectly serene person before you begin. It’s about noticing what’s happening in […]