Perfectionism is not about being perfect. We tend to think that perfectionists obsess over word choice or comma placement simply because of incredibly high standards, but it goes deeper than that. In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown explains, “There’s a significant difference between perfectionism and healthy striving or striving for excellence. Perfectionism… Read more »
The summer after my first book deal, I really struggled with inspiration. I did not struggle with word count. I wrote something like six novels that summer but my then-agent rejected every single one. My books just weren’t resonating, so I decided to try a new approach. A friend of mine recommended The Artist’s Way… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Alana Quintana Albertson. We’ll be talking about her latest book, Ramón and Julieta, which happens to combine three of my favorite things: rom-coms, tacos (and other great food), and of course, Shakespeare references. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an… Read more »
I love a crisp new…anything, don’t you? Like a fresh new dollar bill, a chocolate bar wrapper still tucked snug against the corners, and don’t even get me started on the stiff, unyielding spine of a brand new book. There is also the comfort of a folded dollar you’ve saved, the crumbs on the wrapper… Read more »
If you’ve been following this column, you’ll remember that the previous episode of my journey to becoming a published author ended with me querying a not-quite-ready manuscript—which didn’t go so well—and left me doubting whether I truly have what it takes to be a writer. What you may not realize is that it happened over… Read more »
Hello and welcome to a new column for DIY MFA. As some of you may know, my name is Melissa Haas, and like most of you reading this, I love to learn! In fact, it’s one of the main reasons that I write: to ensure that I will always keep learning. However, as much as… Read more »
Genre hopping is a great way to introduce yourself and your writing style to a new audience. If it is done incorrectly, it is a lot like a bad first impression. It will taint your future ventures and efforts with the audience. I would know. When I first tried genre-hopping, I made a big mistake…. Read more »
How much did the world read in 2021? That’s what Global English Editing set out to answer in their great new infographic, World Reading Habits in 2021. They dig into all sorts of metrics to put the world’s reading habits into perspective. Did you know that Europeans are the world’s biggest bookworms and many spend… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sue Campbell. We’ll be talking about mindset, in particular the harmful stories we creative folks tell ourselves, so we can carve out the creative life we’ve always known we were meant to have. Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an… Read more »
When I like something, I want a lot of it. This is why I gravitate towards comics like Lumberjanes, which has so many volumes, or Wicked + Divine, which has a long and complex enough arc that getting to the end is a satisfying endeavor. But every now and again I pick up a one-shot… Read more »
