Where else to turn for writing mentorship, fellowship, and motivation Photo by Lucas George Wendt on Unsplash Among my writer friends, including some established authors, the search for a strong writing community is a recurrent theme. But “writing community” can mean very different things to different writers, because no two need exactly the same kind of support. We all have different temperaments, goals, styles, and habits. Some crave tough love and hard deadlines. Others require a steady stream of praise to keep going. Some will feel like a Real Writer only when their first book hi ..read more

Drawing in your readers and keeping them engaged Draw your readers to your words like moths to lights. Photo by Nong on Unsplash One of my friends from college decided to take up running as a hobby not long after we graduated. When we were talking one day, she told me, “I didn’t think this would be all that expensive of a hobby. You can run without any gear. But when you’re looking at running regularly, there’s so much to think about! The right shoes and leggings and jacket and water bottle and earbuds that stay in place while running — it adds up.” Creating a work of fiction ca ..read more

This Just In: The history of copyright might be fraught, but it exposes a bigger issue when creating online. Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash Last week’s exploration of copyright law led to some thoughts from the community. I had interesting email conversations with many of you. Copyright law is a very nuanced topic that leads to many opinions and, rightly so, challenges. It turns out that I wasn’t the only one exploring copyright topics this past week, as there were multiple news stories exploring the topic that we’ll explore. But first, I need to set the record straight. On ..read more

Word Wise: Practical Writing Tips for Freelancers and Solopreneurs One power word has been outperforming others. Here’s how you can use it wisely. Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash For decades, the best word to use in content — one that nearly guaranteed a click — was “free.” Free means no risk … no effort … plenty of value. Everybody wants that. So, writers bellied up. The internet was flooded with free offers. That led to a strange phenomenon. The deluge meant freebies got a reputation for less value, even when they’re high quality. And users grew suspicious o ..read more

THE RECKLESS WRITER What a trip to the mall revealed about the reality of modern publishing Image by Walter Rhein Yesterday, I dropped my wife off at the airport and me and the kids went to the Mall of America. It’s always an odd thing to visit a mall in modern times. I grew up in the 80s, and malls were our main way to connect. I’m old enough to remember when the Mall of America opened. It was a big deal at the time, but even then we wondered if it would really be sustainable. The structure is massive, with huge parking garages on either end. To my astonishment, parking is stil ..read more

When investors demand massive returns, guess who pays the price The $163 million party you weren’t invited to (cottonbro/pexels/author) In 1988, first-time author Joe Simpson landed a contract with Random House. He was ecstatic — until the book performed so poorly everyone soon forgot about it. Ten years later, Simpson received an urgent call from his agent. Touching the Void was not only back in print, but Random House wanted a second edition immediately. Channel Four had just bought the rights for a film adaptation, rocketing this previously obscure title onto the New York Times be ..read more

How one physicist discovered that she is an artist, too Photo credit: Oxana via Adobe Stock If someone had told me when I was younger that one day most of my life would revolve around writing, I would have been dismayed. Back then, I didn’t see myself as a writer — I was a scientist. I had an aptitude for solving problems, finding patterns in complex systems, and making sense of the natural world. You could call me a math gal, a physicist, or a clever person, but never a writer. I muddled through my high school language arts class well enough, though I must admit my teacher took ..read more

And probably wouldn’t have believed anyway Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash When I was pregnant with my son, I remember sitting at the dining room table making a list of things I would do during the day after he was born. My goal was to use the “extra time” I would have on maternity leave to write my next book. My list included: Get up and shower Write for a few hours Go to the park Research for book Play and sing When I found this list a few months ago, it made me snort laugh out loud. The naivete I had about becoming a mom is both charming ..read more

The Short Of It The things I just keep on saying Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash One of my regular rules at the teen writing group I run at my library is: “Fun, not homework.” As middle and high school students, the tweens and teens in my group are so used to (from a school mindset) writing projects being prescriptive that I have to make sure to emphasize that any prompt or challenge we’re doing in the club is allowed to be bent or broken by them in any way their inspiration leads them. I’ve said it so much the teens call it my catchphrase. Coming into my fifth year ..read more

There’s a reason Jesus didn’t perform with his improv group during the Sermon on the Mount Photo by Stephen Mayes on Unsplash Imagine Jesus as Bill Burr — Red hair cut all buzzed close to his balding head, that Boston warble accent, “What’s with this crowd not bringing their own snacks? This is how it is in this country, they expect YOU to feed them!” It’d be funnier, but you wouldn’t keep it in your pocket the way you do a parable. In 2023, I asked hundreds of storytellers and creators, “What are your biggest storytelling pet peeves?” One response came up repeatedly ..read more