Friday Speak Out!: When Fear Halts Your Hand (Write Anyway)

by Amanda Loduca My husband likes to tell people that I’m an author. I have never referred to myself by that title, because I always assumed the word “published” had to precede it to be earned. Upon looking up the definition, however, I realized that I am, technically, an author. This is something that instills fear in me, and for ridiculous reasons. Mainly, I hate the idea of fame. I don’t...

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5 comments Amanda Loduca, calling yourself a writer, fear of success, Friday Speak Out, the writing life

The Four-Letter Word In the Writing World

So I was sitting on the floor going through binder after binder of my writings, throwing stuff in the toss or save piles. Until I came to an old Atlanta Journal Constitution from 2007 where I saw an essay I’d written, one I didn’t remember. I took a break and read it. I expected to cringe. I mean, that was ten years ago and I had a lot to learn back in the early writing days. But as I read, I...

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3 comments Cathy C. Hall, maximizing time for writers, time management for writers, writing tips

When Obligations Get in the Way

I have a confession to make. Last night, I realized I forgot to write my blog post, which was due today. I know. I know. Shame. But you know how life is. Maybe you’re a parent, like me. I have two children who participate in activities almost every day after school. I cook dinner so they can eat healthy foods, and I clean up afterwards for my own sanity. I help the kids with homework,...

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3 comments deadlines, finding time to write, how to write when you work, keeping positive, parenting and writing, writing, writing challenges, writing obstacles

Meet Cate Touryan, Second Place Winner in the Spring 2017 Flash Fiction Contest

Like many others, Cate always wanted to be a writer when she grew up—and a writer she became. Except not the kind of writer she’d envisioned. With an MA in English and a JD in law, she built a career as a technical writer, editor, university instructor, and business owner. Five years ago, she moved back to her hometown of San Luis Obispo, California, from a long stint in Sacramento, leaving her...

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5 comments Cate Touryan, Contestant interview, Renee Roberson, WOW! Spring 2017 Flash Fiction Winner

3 Tips From Margaret Atwood, Author of Handmaid's Tale

c Jean Malek I was incredibly lucky to hear author Margaret Atwood speak in St. Louis last week. She received the St. Louis Literary Award; and with this honor, she also gave a speech and was interviewed on stage. Amazing! I wrote about the surreal experience on my blog here, if you want to hear about the ins and outs of how to see a famous author when you don't even have the proper ticket...but...

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5 comments character details, Margaret Atwood, Margo L. Dill, plotter or pantser, The Handmaid's Tale, writing advice

Interview with Author Miranda Nichols

About Miranda: Miranda Nichols is an up and coming author in the fantasy romance genre. She's currently a student working towards her degree in creative writing. When she isn't studying or writing, you can find her curled up with a glass of wine and a steamy romance novel. Like the smell of fresh popcorn, her fantasy romances tempt you and keep you coming back for more! Find Miranda online: website:...

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3 comments author interivew, fantasy, fantasy romance, literary agency, metamorphosis, metamorphosis literary, miranda nichols, romance

Planning My Blog Strategy

Some of you have probably heard me mention it before, but like many other writers, I have a website/blog that I’ve let go stagnant. When I stopped posting on the blog I had with Blogger and merged my blog with a new website design, it sort of fell by the wayside. I finally sat down and worked on a strategy for getting it revamped. At first I was intimidated (what kind of content should I focus...

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5 comments blog strategies, planning blog content, Renee Roberson, tips for posting on a blog

Friday Speak Out!: My Writing Life

by Nancy Hayes Kilgore How do you structure your writing life? Do you write every day? Do you get up at 6 and write all morning? Do you have a special room, quiet and serene? People ask me these questions, assuming that because I am “a writer” and even have the nerve to teach a writing class, I must have it down – the right way to do it. But my answer usually comes out in hems and haws and hedges....

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4 comments Friday Speak Out, Nancy Hayes Kilgore, the writing life, writing rhythm, writing schedule

Meet that Writing Goal and Do It Your Way

A month or so ago, Renee blogged about having a writing bucket list. What an excellent idea. Did I make one? Nope. I was busy writing. I swear.  Then Sioux blogged about having a BHAG (a big, hairy audacious goal). Sioux seems to have a really good understanding of how I operate. She asked us to state our BHAG. Make me write it out, and it is in my head. Bugging me. Here was my response:...

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3 comments reminders, Renee Roberson, Sioux Roslawski, the writing life, writing goals

The second time around

My daughter sounded sad yesterday when I spoke to her on the phone. "What's wrong?" "Aww, man," she said. "I just finished a great book, and I'm so disappointed." "Wait, what?" I asked. "If it was a great book, why are you disappointed? Was the ending bad? "No, she said. "I'm so disappointed I can't read it again for the first time." To serious readers, this is a legitimate reason to be sad....

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5 comments perception, reading the same book twice, Second time around

Interview with Isabella David, First Place Flash Fiction Winner

Isabella David is a writer, poet, homemaker, actor, an editor-at-large at Easy Street, and a fangirl of that fantasy state called sleep. Her first chapbook, The Voices of Women, a title that references her ambition to be a character actor, was short-listed for the Venture Award by Flipped Eye Publishing and published by Finishing Line Press in 2016. She’s also the winner of the 2014 Danahy Fiction...

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2 comments contest interview, first place winner, flash fiction winner, Isabella David, Marcia Peterson, Spring 2017 Flash Fiction Contest, writer inspiration, writer tips, writing contest

What's Your BHAG?

Not too long ago, Renee Roberson wrote a post about her bucket list of writing goals. In her reply to one of my comments, she claimed that everyone should have a BHAG--a big, hairy audacious goal. I wholeheartedly agree. Not surprisingly, my BHAG is the same as one of Renee's: publish a novel. photo by pixabayNotice I chose a scary-looking mountain--quite a formidable one--becausemy BHAG...

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15 comments Chicken Soup for the Soul, Lynn Obermoeller, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, novel writing, Renee Roberson

What's Something You Wrote About That You Never Thought You Would?

When I decided to pursue writing as more than just a hobby, I was set on writing fiction for kids. Short stories, poetry, novels, picture books--whatever a kid who loved fiction would read, I wanted to write. I was naive and didn't understand how the writing world worked--that nonfiction sells better, that if you want a paycheck as a writer, you might have to write something else. One thing I...

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5 comments beginning writers, children writers, Margo L. Dill, portfolio, writing bio