Category: Writing Life
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Getting Unstuck: Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block
Some writers seem to be endlessly prolific. They can draft a book in a few weeks, edit it, and move on the next project. They never seem to get stuck. I am not one of these people. I love editing, whether my own writing or someone else’s. Drafting, on the…
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Rediscovering the Joy of Writing
I’ve got a confession to make: I started drafting my WIP a year ago, and I’m not even halfway through. In the past year, I’ve written a whopping 30,000 words. I should have this thing drafted and edited by now. I’m a slow writer… but not that slow. I can…
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Staying True to Your Story
Meg Murray was one of my first literary heroes. I remember sitting on a park bench when I was twelve, ignoring the vivid greenness of the trees that rustled around me because I was too immersed in A Wrinkle in Time to care about nature. As an awkward child who…
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Writing When the World Tells You to Give Up
“Maybe you’re just supposed to write for yourself.” Every time a well-meaning friend says this to me, something deep inside of me wants either to shake them violently until they understand why I hate that statement or to curl up into a fetal position and give up altogether. Because that’s…
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The Myth of Writing Every Day: Realistic Tips for Increasing Your Productivity
We’ve all heard the well-intentioned advice: Write every day. It always seems to be spewed by privileged people who have a flexible schedule or a stable income without a day job or who have somehow managed to eschew all other commitments. And while there’s truth to the advice–I certainly find…
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Coping with Waiting and Rejection
Nearly three years ago, I received one of the most soul-crushing rejections I’ve ever received. It was from a super star agent–someone who reps best-sellers–and a month earlier she had requested a partial from me. What did this mortifying rejection say? My writing was rich and vivid, but despite the…
Jodi Herlick 