Worrying about how people will respond to our writing can be paralyzing. In fact, it's number two on my list of things that masquerade as "writer's block." And make no mistake, fear of judgment is a powerful thing, even for those of us who insist we … [Continue reading] about Fear of Judgment
Blog
Cultivate Your Voice as a Writer
Your voice as a writer consists of the specific ways in which you tell stories. It's made up of the words you choose, the way you structure your sentences, the overall tone of your prose. It's what makes your writing uniquely yours. I like to think … [Continue reading] about Cultivate Your Voice as a Writer
How to Write Faster
One of the best lessons I learned by doing NaNoWriMo was that I can absolutely write faster than I ever thought I could. All it took was one simple thing to quadruple my writing speed. Who knew? Any Writing is Good Writing Years … [Continue reading] about How to Write Faster
Track Your Writing
When we're working on a longer project, like a novel or memoir, it can be easy to lose sight of how much work we're actually doing. I see this happen in two ways. For both groups of people (or if you're not sure which category you fall into) I … [Continue reading] about Track Your Writing
Start Before You’re Ready
There's a road near my house that winds along the side of a hill above Pasadena. On the rare occasion that I'm out and about early on a Saturday, I have to drive carefully because that little windy road is swarming with runners. I know who they … [Continue reading] about Start Before You’re Ready
Being A Good Sport
I just finished reading Jennette McCurdy's memoir ("I'm Glad My Mom Died") and I really loved this line. The whole book is about how she was raised to be a good girl and prioritize everyone else's needs over her own and this moment in the book is … [Continue reading] about Being A Good Sport
You’re Writing in the Wrong Format
I was away last week at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony in Temecula for a writing retreat. I had an idea for a new project and had been writing a little bit here and there on it (I had about 10,000 words), but I wanted some focused time to dig in … [Continue reading] about You’re Writing in the Wrong Format