Not to remind you of those nightmares where you forgot to attend a class and it's the day of the final (mine is always a medieval history class), but here's a quick quiz.  What is the most important trait for a writer's success? A) TalentB) ConfidenceC) IntelligenceD) Creativity The correct answer: B. Don't get me wrong; all…

When I was younger, I had big dreams for my writing. I thought I'd get a billion dollar contract with a major publishing house (I always was rooting for Puffin because I thought the logo was cute), and I'd live on a farm with my two corgis. Somehow, this would make it super easy to…

This week I have a special guest writer. My dear friend, Rocky Callen, was kind enough to share her publishing journey with you! This week will be the two-year anniversary of the traditional publication of my novel, A Breath Too Late. The book grapples with difficult issues. Suicide. Mental health. Domestic violence. I remember people…

I love Rent. I really, really do. While the characters are pretty much the worst, the music is amazing. I could listen to the soundtrack all day (and I have).  So, of course, I had to watch Tick, Tick . . . Boom!, an autobiography of Jonathan Larson's life. While I admit there were some obnoxious elements to…

Do you want to know my secret for hitting my deadlines in the past year? No, it doesn't involve the ability to stop time or even a really fancy planner. (Whenever I buy one, I think I'm going to use it. I don't. I think those planners are unfounded optimism with a cute puppy on the…

I watched Hocus Pocus for the first time in years. Yet I somehow remembered almost every scene and a ton of the lines. Either I watched that movie a ton as a child or it's a really memorable movie. Or both. Some things hadn't changed for me when I watched it. I was still freaked out…

Are you feeling stuck with your writing? Not just any kind of stuck. The kind of stuck that happens because the inner critic sits on your shoulder, throwing insults at your writing like they're a character from Succession? If so, I have a solution. Try something new. And allow yourself to do it really, really…

So I did a thing. I wrote a book in two months. I know, I know. It's not in a month because it's not November. But still. People seem to think it's a big deal that I got a 68k novel done in two months. To be honest, with no false humility, I think it…

Last week, for the first time in forever, I got to go to a local art gallery. I saw the most incredible things: a sculpture where it only looks a man is being carried if you look at the shadow it cast on the wall, a watercolor that I stared at for literally fifteen minutes…

When I was a kid, the first day of school was always a big deal for me. I wanted to make a great impression after the summer. I would agonize over the perfect Lisa Frank notebook at the store and carefully ponder the perfect pattern for my pencils (flowers were always a safe bet, but…