Hello, writers!As promised, I’m back with a quarterly newsletter. While most of you were enjoying(?) warm weather, here in Cape Town it was a blustery winter. I tend to want to hibernate in the cold, so of course I didn’t get as much done this quarte...
Hello, writers! Why yes, I did indeed fall off the face of the earth for a while. A… long while. You signed up to hear from me about the Monster Novel Structure Workbook, writing craft, and other writing-related goodness. I prom...
Hey there, writers.You joined this list on the promise that you would hear from me with regularity about writing and similar goings-on. Thank you. It’s an honor to be invited into your inbox.So, uh, the last email to this list was in February--what g...
Hey there, writers,If you're new to this list, you're probably wondering why there haven't been any new emails lately--fair! I did promise a newsletter every 2 weeks when you signed up. As those subscribed prior to November know, my Mom died the Sund...
Hi, gang.I don’t really know how to start, except to be upfront. My mother died on Sunday November 22nd. She had been fighting multiple myeloma since shortly before our big move in 2016. Her death was both anticipated and shockingly sudden. My dad an...
NaNoWriMo is on the horizon again, starting November 1. The global attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days is a lot of things: invigorating, challenging, and inspirational, to name a few. But it can also be grueling, disappointing, and a reas...
Discovery writers, or write-by-the-seat-of-their-pantsers, may shy away from anything that looks too much like outlining or planning. That includes story structures–surely the idea is to fit your story into the structure before you start writing? Shu...
I’ve written about Pacemaker before, but this will be a more comprehensive overview. There are more and more apps out there that help you track what you’ve already done. Where Pacemaker shines is that it helps you plan how much you need to/can write....
This is one of those things that drove me batty until I figured a way to fix it. Scrivener is amazing, even with its limitations. (Still waiting on Scrivener 3 for Windows… *sob*) Screenshots are for Scrivener 1 on Windows. When compiling your docume...
I published The Monster Novel Structure Workbook in September 2018, and it’s been quite a ride. A tough, scary, and rewarding ride. I stretched my skill sets, took risks, and have heard from a lot of readers how the book has helped them right their o...
A while back I got a comment wishing for a reusable Monster Worksheet, the primary tool for my Monster Novel Structure Workbook. I love this idea, so I researched the options. My first thought was to see what custom-printed white boards would cost. T...
With all this pandemic stuff going on I’ve had to postpone my plans for a print edition of The Monster Novel Structure Workbook. It’s something people wanted, and I promise it will happen one day when the shipping companies aren’t so overwhelmed. In...
Changes are coming to The Monster Novel Structure Workbook! I’m not doing a big launch event or anything, I’m just quietly making these updates and letting them ride. This post details all the yummy new shinies. Plans For a Print Edition I polled my...
There’s a big question on every writer’s mind as the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic sets in. What does COVID-19 mean for our writing? Let’s not beat around the bush. Our lives have changed drastically, or will soon. This is not an isolated phenomen...
Before each round of Author Mentor Match (a program that matches kidlit and adult writers with mentors–next round open Feb 13th, 2020!) the previously selected mentees volunteer to do query critiques for hopefuls. I always do this, because I love giv...
