How fiction shapes reality for both writer and reader — If you tell some people you’re a fiction writer, they think you live in the land of make believe. You’re a dreamer, an entertainer at best. Yes, we fiction writers like to dream, both while we’re awake and asleep. Sure, we like to indulge in our fantasies. And of course…

It’s up to all of us to create a fuller web experience for the visually impaired — Writing, publishing, and selling a novel is challenging for anyone, but what is it like to be a blind writer? Think about composing, spotting errors, using track changes, and formatting. …

Right now, in the Writer’s Mastermind online writing group, we’re focusing on time and energy management for writers and designing a lifestyle that helps us produce our best work. During the past few weeks, I have experimented with intermittent fasting and am going to share my results. Intermittent Fasting for Writers Not only is…

14 tips to keep your writing from becoming work — Remember when you were a kid and being an artist was fun? Finger paints and imaginary friends. Silly costumes and play-acting. We didn’t think about whether or not our creations and performances would sell or receive a good review on a trendy site. The reward was the simple act of…

Writing through a pandemic — Most of us have experienced true fear or anxiety on some level — whether it was a close scrape with danger, a rollercoaster ride, or the general anxiety our brains subject us too. But with coronavirus, we are all facing a fear we have never known. It’s not the breathless…

Rejections often have nothing to do with the quality of your story — As a writer, I know the submissions process can be a huge mental and emotional drain. Not only is it time-consuming and tedious, there are the nail-biting weeks or months afterward waiting for an answer. If the answer is no, a writer must go through a period of grief and…

Knowing your weak spots is the first step to greatness — In this world of indie publishing, anyone and everyone is writing a book, but should they be? I might be a jerk for bringing this up, but I’ll say it. I see a lot of crappy books out there. It makes me wonder—if all these writers think they’re good, and…

A message to self-taught writers — I love to watch virtuosos on YouTube — pianists, violinists, dancers, and singers that seem to have supernatural abilities. They make their performances look effortless, but no one sees what it took for them to reach that level of mastery. What about the hours of practice, the hundreds of times…