As a book coach, I see a lot of first drafts. And while every story is different, a number of common first draft mistakes that are . Most of these big-picture story issues have to do with missing elements—the elements that hook readers, keep them turning the page, and leave them feeling satisfied when they… Read more »
Once you have a clear goal in mind, the next moment can be perilous. You might hear a small voice telling you to start with a small step, but often our enthusiasm overwhelms us. All of the ways that you can make your goal happen crowd into your brain like partygoers stuffed into a small… Read more »
Have you been kicking around a children’s story idea in your head and you’re not sure where to start? You’re in luck! I’ve compiled several key questions into a survey and asked parents, grandparents, and teachers for their input. Based on their responses, I’ve summarized the top five best tools recommended for writing a children’s… Read more »
I’ve always loved a good prompt when it comes to writing because I’ve always loved a challenge. These are usually questions or directives (though they don’t have to be) with the goal of inciting a written response from the writer, such as: “two strangers meet in a bar, and one of them turns to the… Read more »
No one sets out to make mistakes with their writing, especially a food novel. Writers are driven by a passion to share universal experiences, and sometimes, that’s exactly what gets them off-track. It happens to the best of us. Some professional nonfiction food writers have dipped their toes in the world of fiction to only… Read more »
Last summer, on a hectic day before a month-long vacation, I went to the print shop for my final errand. I’d spent the past ten months working on the second draft of my latest novel—submitting chapters to my writing group, fixing the clunky narrative arc, and generally solidifying my sketchy first pass. Now the dogged… Read more »
Over the years I’ve struggled to establish a regular writing routine. I was constantly adjusting my schedule to accommodate school, internships, and a variety of part-time jobs. But even once I settled into a full-time job with a steady schedule, my writing routine still faltered. I tried to squeeze time into lunch breaks and scheduled… Read more »
Hey, y’all. I come before you today, standing at the precipice of possibility. The place where inertia becomes action. The moment where I engage in the act of sitting down and actually writing. This winter, I invested in a masterclass program that walked me through the process of taking an idea, creating a high-level outline,… Read more »
Hello, beautiful people on the internet! Welcome back to Worldly Wise, where together we’re going to take the reins of your speculative fiction story and see it to the finishing line. Last time, we debunked some myths circling the “super genre” that stop writers from diving into the world of speculative fiction and tried a… Read more »
According to Ron Burgundy, played by Will Ferrell in the 2004 comedy Anchorman, “diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era.” Of course, this is both hilariously false and maybe the perfect metaphor for understanding the struggle around answering the call for diversity within the publishing world. Answering… Read more »
