Dear Reader,In the spirit of Thanksgiving (for us here in the U.S.), I wanted to thank you for being here with me. I know you are busy. You could be spending your time eating dinner with your family, writing your novel, or watching that hilarious Corgi YouTube video. There is always something you could be…
Your book is not...*Your ex. You are allowed to spend time with it, and it won't cheat on you with the writer next door. It is loyal and true.*Your homework. It is actually, you know, fun. Plus, nobody is giving you a grade, so let loose!*Your enemy. It isn't out to get you. There are…
Believe it or not, I have been stuck when it comes to my writing in the past few months. Sure, I had been super busy (a move and a wedding every weekend...I am beginning to wonder why Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn would want to crash so many), but that isn't why I felt empty…
O Best Beloved Writer,You are a brave one. You are about to go confront a dangerous, scary monster: the dreaded blank page. Not only are you going to face it, but you will defeat it by filling it with 50,000 messy, chaotic, beautiful words. In thirty days.I know you are frightened. The monster doesn't come…
I have a NOT embarrassing confession: I am currently obsessed with Miyazaki's films. As in, I just put a Miyazaki shower curtain in my bathroom, and my phone currently has a Spirited Away background. I remember when I first fell in love with Miyazaki's work. My childhood friend told me that I had to see Howl's…
If you are looking for an article that is going to be praise La La Land, I suggest you look elsewhere. If you want an article that is going to show you what to avoid when you are writing through one of the world's most overhyped movies, then you are in the right place.I wanted…
It is what made the football players sweat and nervously clear their throats when they sat in the university writing center with me. It is what makes my clients cringe and wring their hands. Hell, it even makes my palms sweat thinking about it.You probably can guess what I am talking about.Revision.When you first started…
When I was younger, I thought that I just had to write a book and then I could send it to an editor without even giving it a second look. I believed that the editor would receive the messy manuscript and make it magical. I was so wrong.While your manuscript doesn't have to be perfect before…
Last weekend, I went out to New Paris with a bunch of friends. I had really romantic ideas about the trip: shooting stars, delicious food, and beautiful fall foliage. All those things were there, and it was really wonderful. It was just missing one major thing: inspiration.You see, I always had an idealized version of how…
It was a moment that could only happen in D.C.My husband and I were sitting in the metro when two young men entered the car. This is not an unusual occurrence. What they said next definitely was.One of the young men announced, "We are here to make y'all smile with a dance performance. We are…