April Davila - Author
When I tell people that mindfulness forms the basis for how I teach writing I often watch their eyes glaze over. I can almost see what they're picturing: me with flowers in my hair, sitting in a drum circle, eyes gently closed, swaying from side to … [Continue reading] about Why Kindness Matters
The ability to write convincing dialogue is an essential skill for any fiction writer. Dialogue can make or break a story. It is a crucial element in storytelling that brings characters to life and helps readers connect with them. Good dialogue … [Continue reading] about Write Convincing Dialogue
Charlotte Maya's memoir, Sushi Tuesdays, came out in February. It's about her husband's suicide, and I will admit to being a little daunted by the subject matter when I first heard about it. Nobody likes to think about such devastating loss, but … [Continue reading] about Author Interview: Charlotte Maya
A while back, I wrote a post about how details are the key to writing ourselves out of cliché. I shared my take on what a cliché is and how we, as writers, can weed them out. The very first response I got to that post was from a reader who said he … [Continue reading] about Avoiding Detail Overload in Our Writing
On my first meditation retreat in 2009, the teacher gave a talk about the difference between pain and suffering, and I was NOT getting it. Pain and suffering. They go together like chocolate and peanut butter. To be in pain is to suffer. We suffer … [Continue reading] about We Don’t Have to Suffer
Back when I was doing final revisions on my first novel, I found a small plot hole. It was nothing major, but one of my beta readers noticed it (thanks Summer!) and I couldn't decide what to do about it. It wasn't a big enough issue that I wanted to … [Continue reading] about Hang a Lantern on Your Plot Problems
The older I get, the more I recognize my writing brain and my editing brain as two distinct parts of myself. Writing Brain My writing brain is creative. It has all kinds of crazy ideas. This is the brain I need engaged when I'm working on a … [Continue reading] about Writing Brain and Editing Brain