Sugar, Spice, and Rock ‘N’ Roll

This post is for the Project STIR blog tour. Project STIR is a series of documentary films launching this fall on Kickstarter. The films will follow Abuelitas, Nans & Mamaws passing down heirloom recipes in kitchens around the globe including countries like: Panama, New Zealand, Turkey, Croatia & England. Learn more about how to get…

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You Don’t Have to Be Don Draper

“This post is a part of the Double Your Followers blog tour to spread the word about April Bowles-Olin’s upcoming CreativeLive course. Does hearing the word ‘marketing’ make your armpits start to drip with anxiety? Are you terrified of sounding salesy or like you have the personality of a dead blowfish? If so, come join me…

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Carol King is Wrong

It is never too late. I know what you are thinking: it is too late for me. If I were going to write a novel, I would have done it by now. I am too old. Everyone knows novelists work on their craft all their lives. If they want to write, they have to work…

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Lessons from Literary Ladies

I am always inspired by the characters encountered in fiction, so it would make sense that fictional females writersinspire me to pick up my pen. They have also taughtme a few lessons on the craft.  In no particular order, here are eight inspirational and instructive, fictional, female writers: 1) Jo March from Little WomenShe is…

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Conjunction Junction

"It can be silly, but it has to make sense." A small child said this near me on the Metro (a place of endless inspiration if you take off your headphones). What on earth was the kid talking about? It was all about the game "AND." I had never heard of this game before, but…

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Let’s Play 20 Questions

Whenever I get writer's block, it is because I have not taken care of the basics. For example, it is really hard to continue your plot if you don't know your characters well. The fix? The same thing that companies do with job candidates: an interview! You can ask story-specific questions (i.e. "Why are you…

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An Open Letter to Snoopy

Dear Literary Ace (a.k.a. Snoopy), I see your struggle. I understand the pain of the blank page. While my false starts do not begin with dark and stormy nights, mine end up the same way: crumpled paper on the ground. I too know the rejection notice and the scorn of the neighborhood children with too…

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