Since November of 2015, I've written approximately 425,000 words. That breaks down to about 10,366 words a month or close to 340 words per day. Editing is harder to categorize, but all of those words have also undergone at least some revision, and Cambiare is currently in the final stages of editing. So why am …
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The Curse of the Perfectionist Procrastinator
A few days ago, I hit a big mental roadblock. While knee-deep in revisions for three separate works-in-progress, my brain just shut down on me. My first completed book was with my editor, and the other two were in very early drafts that needed some reworking. But every time I thought about opening one of …
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5 Simple Cocktails
This post has nothing to do with writing (unless you buy into the "write drunk, edit sober" philosophy, I suppose). But one of my other primary hobbies is making cocktails, and I've developed a few quick-and-simple regular favorites I'll share with you today. Note on simple syrup: I do keep a batch of 2:1 simple …
5 Places to Find Betas and Critique Partners
If you plan to publish your book, beta readers and critique partners (CPs) are essential to putting out your best possible work. (For more on how these people can help you out, check out last week's post on the 5 Things Betas & CPs Can Do That You Can't.) First, a quick rundown of the …
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5 Things Betas and CPs Can Do That You Can’t
If you've written a book, you may be reluctant to hand your baby to other people. What if they tear it apart? What if they don't like it? It's terrifying. But if you intend to publish, letting other people read your book beforehand is an absolute necessity. Better to hear criticism when the problems can …
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Get to Know Me: 5 Hobbies
CW: Alcohol mention This is a bit of a fluffier post. A comment in a writing group chat inspired me to share a little more about myself in occasional blog posts. So we're going to start off with something simple: my hobbies. (I'm excluding reading, as that's a bit obvious for a writer). A coworker …
5 Reasons non-YA is getting published as YA
There's a growing trend in Young Adult books, and it has to stop. I'm not the first to notice or call this out, but an awful lot of "young adult" books--particularly in genre fiction like fantasy--feature "teen" characters that think and act more like 30-year-olds. Or they contain content that can be inappropriate for the …
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5 Ways I Trimmed Word Count
I have a very strained relationship with word counts. I'm a chronic over-writer, so I usually have to cut thousands of words between the first and final draft. In can feel like pulling teeth, but many of these tricks will also make your prose stronger. So why do you need to cut words, anyway? There …
Music Monday: “Frost”
Time for some good old-fashioned heartbreak. For those of you writing a tragic romance and needing that perfect, poignant song for inspiration. Ever had that relationship that could have been something magical, but just seemed to fall apart? And yet you still can't help but wonder "what if"? Vertical Horizon's "Frost" is a hidden gem, …
The Problem with “Likely” and “Probably”
Today I want to talk about a common issue with "likely" and "probably", as well as reasons you should use them sparingly and selectively in your narrative writing. So what's the problem? Often, "likely" and "probably" are used to explain something to the reader that's technically outside the main character's knowledge. Example: He scowled at …
