APRIL DAVILA
Award-Winning Author & Writing Coach
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APRIL ONLINE
Online Community
A powerful writing group.
This online community of writers combines weekly group coaching with regularly scheduled writing sessions. Keep yourself accountable, get advice when you need it, and do what it takes to finally finish your manuscript.
Scribbling Buddha
A weekly newsletter.
April's essential guide to interesting things, generally (but not always) related to books, writing and mindfulness practice. The Scribbling Buddha newsletter goes out every Friday with a list of 8 Great Things you need to know.
Private Coaching
Take your writing to the next level.
Sit Write Here coaching packages are built around a unique, mindset-first program to help aspiring authors hone their skills while developing a regular writing practice so that they can finally finish their novel or memoir.
142 OSTRICHES
Set against the unexpected splendor of an ostrich ranch in the California desert, April Dávila’s beautifully written debut conjures an absorbing and compelling heroine in a story of courage, family and forgiveness.
“A vivid, uplifting debut...”
—Publishers Weekly
Recent Blog Posts
Why Kindness Matters
Try kindness. It’s not just a woo woo, peace and rainbows thing, it’s about being intentional about the way we experience the world.
Write Convincing Dialogue
The ability to write convincing dialogue is an essential skill for any fiction writer. Dialogue can make or break a story.
Author Interview: Charlotte Maya
Interview with Charlotte Maya, author of Sushi Tuesdays, a memoir about her life with her family after her husband’s suicide.
Avoiding Detail Overload in Our Writing
As writers, we must choose our details wisely to avoid detail overload, which can be just as bad for a story as a boatload of clichés.
We Don’t Have to Suffer
Writing can be hard. It can even be downright painful, but I’m here to tell you, you don’t have to suffer.
Hang a Lantern on Your Plot Problems
Take a plot hole and, instead of revamping with long backstory, hang a lantern on it, like: yep, that’s there, moving on.
Writing Brain and Editing Brain
The older I get, the more I recognize my writing brain and my editing brain as two distinct parts of myself.
Working With Beta Readers (Bonus Round)
Before you begin working with beta readers, be sure to ask them if they have time to read it and give them a deadline.
Talkin’ ‘Bout the ‘Trich
My husband told ChatGPT to write hip-hop lyrics about ostriches in the style of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Here’s what it came up with…
Fear of Judgment
Worrying about how people will respond to our writing can be paralyzing. Fear of judgment is a powerful thing.