Is there anything we’re dreaming about more right now than travel? I’m lucky that my day job requires frequent international travel (or it did, before March 2020). I’ve been all over the world for work and for pleasure, from Senegal to Egypt to Vietnam, and it never fails to surprise me how much travel inspires… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Adam Smyer. Adam Smyer is an attorney, martial artist, and mediocre bass player. His nonfiction has appeared in the Johannesburg Review of Books, and his debut novel, Knucklehead, was the sole title short-listed for the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Adam lives in the San… Read more »
When I began to write for DIY MFA, my second post, “Resolving to Draw More,” welcomed the New Year (remember 2019, that sweet time when small annoyances seemed important and everyday joys passed by unappreciated?). It included this fact: “You need three things to draw: paper, pen and ink. Or just two, if you use… Read more »
“Go slow, work on it a section at a time, and never paint with a dry brush.” Yeah, my dad may have been talking about painting a wall when he told me this, but this advice applies to pretty much everything else in life too—especially writing a novel. Go Slow First off, writing a novel… Read more »
Dear word nerd, The past few days we have witnessed events unlike anything we have seen in the United states, at least not in a long time. This situation has been weighing on my mind since Wednesday. In particular, I have been struggling to understand my role as a writer during times like these. This… Read more »
In today’s #OwnVoices interview, we pivot to a type of difference near and dear to me – neurodiversity. I spoke with Elizabeth Little about her novel Pretty as a Picture, which features a main character, film editor Marissa Dahl, who is autistic. Little herself is autistic and the mother of a son with autism, as… Read more »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rachel Beanland. Rachel Beanland writes fiction and essays, and has recently released her debut novel. Her essays have appeared in Creative Nonfiction and Broad Street, among other places, and she has an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. With bachelor’s degrees in art history and journalism,… Read more »
I’m writing this as 2020 draws to a close – and you’ll be reading it with 2020 firmly in the rearview mirror. The challenges brought to all of us by MMXX have been unprecedented. For authors, the traditional ways we’ve engaged with readers – book fairs, bookstore signings, book club gatherings, Renaissance festivals, historical re-enactments,… Read more »
After she’s written her manuscript, after it’s been edited, formatted, and proofread, an indie author makes a goal-driven publishing decision: wide or select? There are plenty of good reasons to choose either pathway, but it’s important to consider your long-term author goals before you decide. What does “wide” mean here? What is “Select”? “Select” means… Read more »
The beginning of your book, as much as the back cover or inside flap, is marketing copy. Your reader will give you wide latitude when it comes to your opening content, but if they’re going to stick around, they expect something enticing on the first page—a promise of things to come. Whether your first paragraphs… Read more »
