Striving for Professional Development in Your Career

I’ve posted on this blog before about having to tackle some new things this year in my professional career, as I took a full-time job in marketing for a non-profit company. First, I was excited, because I’ve always loved theatre, especially musical theatre. Then I became overwhelmed, because I’m one of two full-time employees and basically operate as a one-woman marketing and development team....

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4 comments personal development for writers, Renee Roberson, writing advice, Writing Conferences

Write the book!

Have you ever been given advice about creating a best-seller? I searched online for writing advice that covered lots of steps, tips, strategies and formulas. Here's a three-step plan that summarized what I found: Step 1) Write award-winning Book Step 2) Win Pulitzer Prize Step 3) Go to bank, cash check, move to Hawaii Done, done, and done! Sounds easy, right? Well, it's not. There's a difference...

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6 comments finding a market, marketing consultants, marketing plans, write the book

Friday Speak Out!: Critique Sitting and Self-Care

by Savannah Hendricks A trending topic via hashtags (octothorp) on social media is #selfcare and #selflove. I’ve even used those tags, but fell flat in my own outcome. In many households, even in the changing times, women often have the responsibility of caring for the children, cooking, cleaning, and maintaining a career. How do women juggle all this and find time to write, let alone time for...

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6 comments critique group, finding time to write, Friday Speak Out, Savannah Hendricks, self care, self care for writers

Sioux Without Pants?

I'm a pantser. I usually write by the seat of my pants, rather than being a planner. Never (and this is no exaggeration) have I ever planned or outlined a writing piece. And it's served me well. Going without pants has worked for Daisy Duck for decades. Until recently... Probably I should provide some background information, so everyone doesn't run out and get a WWSD bracelet as they constantly...

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10 comments

Interview with Tal Valante, Winter 2018 Flash Fiction Runner Up

Today we are here to talk with author Tal Valante about her story "Statistics."  Tal is one of the runners up of the Winter 2018 Flash Fiction contest. Take the time to read Tal’s story, “Statistics,” before continuing on to her bio and her interview. Tal’s bio: Tal Valante loves literature that packs a punch, whether she’s on the receiving or the delivering end. An avid reader and a slow...

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2 comments Runner up, Tal Valante, Winter 2018 Flash Fiction contest

Giveaway: Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing by Kerrie Flanagan

Hey writers! I have some amazing news to share with you (as well as a giveaway)! I had the pleasure of writing the foreword for Kerrie Flanagan’s book, the Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing—a phenomenal writer’s resource that publishes today. I’m so proud and honored to be a part of this project. I first met Kerrie back in 2009, when she sent a letter of introduction to WOW!...

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25 comments book giveaway, freelance writing, Kerrie Flanagan, pitching, querying, Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing, writing articles for magazines

Rose Colored Glasses by Jo Ann Simon blog tour launch and giveaway

Dear Tom, I'm back on Anna Maria Island... missing you. But walking down these beautiful beaches reminds me of us and makes me feel a little less far away from you. And that encourages me as I am writing our story. Hopefully this will help other people who are feeling our pain too. I love and miss you every day, darling. Love, Me When he first saw me, Tom said that he would spend the rest of...

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4 comments

Three Types of People to Watch Out For In Your Writing Life

When it's my turn to blog on The Muffin, I usually try to come up with something either funny, positive, inspirational, or instructional. But today, friends, I have a bone to pick with three types of people you could run into in your writing career; and this is a topic that needs to be brought out of the shadows and into the light. So this post comes with a big WARNING sign--maybe even DANGER AHEAD....

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6 comments effective critiques, everyday inspiration, Margo L. Dill, marketing, support for writers, Writer Beware

Why I Started Writing What I Enjoyed Instead of What I Knew

We all know the advice, "Write what you know." It isn't my favorite piece of advice, although recently I have learned to understand it better. I have learned that it's not just about writing about all those real life moments you have lived through, but it's also about emotions. We've all known sadness, fear, disappointment, love, and so many other emotions that inspire the characters we write...

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7 comments amwriting, On Writing, write what you know

Friday Speak Out!: Easy Book Marketing for Authors Who Hate Marketing

by Linda Strader I haven’t met an author yet who loves the marketing aspect of book promotion. Certainly I don’t. I’ve never been particularly outgoing, nor social. Not that I’m a recluse, but I’ve never been one to talk (which in my world means brag) about my accomplishments. Simple compliments throw me, to the point that I often pretend I didn’t hear them. However, I knew that if I wanted people...

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10 comments author advice, book marketing, book promotion, connecting with readers, facebook groups, Friday Speak Out, guest blog post, Linda Strader, marketing tips for authors

Themes: Weave Them into a Compelling Story

Weave themes together to create a compelling story. Recently I read an article about themes in literature. The author’s advice was to avoid the common and ho hum. Go instead, she said, for the unusual. Wow. I have to disagree. Themes in and of themselves don’t have to be unique. They are the broad topics that summarize what your story is about. You create a unique story not with a single theme...

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5 comments common themes, theme, working with themes

"They" can't stop you

Many of you know I'm a communications instructor as well as a writer. I recently heard another instructor say that early in his career he felt like he wasn't qualified to teach students just a few years younger than he was, and when he got older, he felt like he couldn't relate to them. Now, though, years later, when asked how he felt about those earlier theories and how he relates to his students, he said he doesn't care how they feel because he has something to offer. I love that response, because many writers feel the same way.

When we begin, we may feel like we aren't qualified to call ourselves writers, and after years of work, may feel disconnected from a younger audience. When writers pay attention to the latest blockbuster books and movies, feeling out of touch may be the norm. That probably isn't your audience anyway, and letting others dictate the type of writing you do is a mistake. You have something else to offer.

When you are 20, you worry about what other people think of you. When you are 40, you don't care what other people think of you, and when you are 60, you realize no one was thinking about you anyway. I'm closer to 60 than 40, so am happy to say that putting myself out there isn't as scary as it once was. I don't know if it's because many people I deal with are younger and seem less intimidating, or after having been a writer for so long feel a higher level of confidence. It's probably some of both.

Recently, I realized that in 100 years, the planet will be populated with an (almost) entirely different group of people. Most of us who are here now will not be here then. So, what are we worried about? Is it that "they" may not understand you? To be honest, "they" may not care if you succeed or not. My advice is to stop worrying, because "they" aren't permanent. And "they" shouldn't determine how you perceive your work.

In 100 years, you will have been a writer. And that won't change. You have something to offer. "They" can't stop you.

Mary Horner writes fiction and nonfiction, teaches communications, worries about getting older, but not as much about what others think of her writing.

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7 comments "They" can't stop you, 100 years from now, something to offer

Meet Tina Tippett, Runner Up in the Winter 2018 Flash Fiction Contest

Tina Tippett makes her living as a legal assistant in a busy law firm just outside of Baltimore. She began jotting poetry in the margins of her schoolwork in elementary school and continued to do so through her career as an English major at the University of Maryland. A single mom, writing often took a backseat to balancing work and home-schooling her two beautiful daughters. After losing her...

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1 comment Contestant interview, Renee Roberson, Runner up, tina tippett, WOW! 2018 Winter Flash Fiction Contest

'Till the Cows Come Home

Growing up, my parents would say things like "that girl won't quit talking 'til the cows come home" or "she's a slow learner - those cows will be home before her knees are healed" and so much as I'd like to think they were talking about someone else, I'm an only child. An only child who never stopped talking, dreaming, climbing trees, and playing football. I can't say I've done much tree climbing...

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3 comments author advice, encouraging authors, keep writing, til the cows come home, writing, writing contests, writing daily