Overcoming Fear in Writing: Insights from Neuroscience
As a writer, growth is rarely a straightforward or simple process. Navigating the challenges that arise in pursuit of any
Author Mindset & Momentum
Practical insights, expert advice, and compassionate guidance from inside the publishing world.
From Ideas to Stories at AwesomeCon 2023
The muse. The spark. The light bulb. Often the idea of conceiving a story is boiled down to these moments of inspiration–these ideas. An idea, though, is not a story–it’s only the starting point. And the great challenge any writer faces is learning not only how to come up with these ideas, but then how to craft, build, and shape them into fleshed-out, fully formed, start-to-finish stories. Returning for a fourth year to AwesomeCon 2023, the editors and authors at The Writer’s Ally bring you a panel discussion on the process by which those original concepts grow and develop into the books, films, graphic novels, and plays–the stories–we all know and love.
3 Keys to the Best Writer’s Retreat for You
When I started writing my first novel, I signed up for a local weekend writer’s retreat. Don’t ask me where I got the nerve, as I had been a “closet writer” up until that point. Yet there I was, out of my closet, sitting with other writers, writing with other writers, learning about the craft of writing with other writers. Even admitting to being a writer!
It was a weekend of total writing immersion and a pivotal point in my writing career. I’m not sure where I’d be today if I hadn’t taken that first real step toward taking myself seriously as a writer. Still in my closet?
Harrison Returns to ChessieCon – November 2017
ChessieCon is going to have its annual workshop this coming November and we are very excited to announce that our very own Harrison Demchick is one of the guests.
Harrison will be participating in numerous panels and is also returning as a guest judge for the Turkey Awards.
If you’re heading to ChessieCon, check out Harrison at the following sessions:
Friday, 24th of November
04:15 PM – 05:15 PM Summoning your muse — Where Writers Get Ideas
Non-writers often ask authors about this, as if writers have access to some secret stash of story fodder. The panel will divulge their methods for coming up with story ideas, and for passing the time until some come along. Harrison will be joined by fellow authors Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Meg Eden, Alanna Morland, and Jay Smith.
Writing a Book: 3 Amazing Tips to Get Started—an Interview with Ally Machate
Writing a book to share your message, experiences, and knowledge with the world can be an amazing journey and also a great asset to you and your business! But how do you find the right idea to write about, and then how do you turn that idea into a book that people will resonate with and want to buy?
Thanks to Carrie Green of the Female Entrepreneur Association, I was able to answer this question and more. Carrie invited me as her guest expert for a 10 Minute Masterclass interview, during which I shared “3 Amazing Tips to Get Started Writing A Book.”
How to Keep Impatience at Bay and Give Your Manuscript the Love It Deserves
There are many writers who labor over a manuscript for long periods of time without any particular agenda or deadlines. They love to write, they have something to say, and they are working to say it in the best way possible. Others are more ambitious—they come to us with a very specific timeline, and they want to know if we can help them get their book published within that timeline. But sometimes even SMART goals aren’t so smart.
3 Secrets to Writing Success from NaNoWriMo
Beginning and even intermediate writers often struggle with the writing lifestyle. I mean things like keeping a disciplined writing schedule, finding and enjoying a community of similarly ambitious creatives, and meeting self-imposed deadlines to keep producing new work (also known as the “I’m Writing a Book—Yes, the Same Book I’ve Been Writing for Years” syndrome). There are dozens if not hundreds of goal-setting and motivational programs for everyone from business owners to fitness geeks. So where’s the program for writers? Enter National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short.
(READ MORE)
Three Slightly Unconventional Rules for Writing
The world of writing books and websites is littered with rules about how exactly to excel as a writer. You must use an outline, or you must use index cards. You must barrel through that first draft, never stopping to edit your work. You must write only in the evenings, or only in the mornings, and you must focus only on one project. Some people, and some would-be experts, see common experiences and imagine that all writers are the same. From this perspective, I think they steer a lot of people wrong.
So I’d like to share with you a slightly different set of rules.
Finding and Making the Time to Write
It’s easy to claim that you don’t have time to write. In fact, it’s probably true. There are never enough hours in the day, and often your creative project gets placed on a back burner.
In his recent guest post on Lia Mack’s blog, TWA’s own Harrison Demchick discusses the importance of making the time to write. To frame his discussion, Harrison shares a friend’s personal triumph at the writer’s club meeting where she completed the first draft of her novel and why setting aside the time for the club helped her accomplish this.
Top 5 Reasons To Try NaNoWriMo This Year
The benefits of participating in a speedwriting endeavor such as NaNoWriMo go beyond the drafting of a manuscript. I know—I’ve participated several times and won a few, too! Here are my top 5 reasons why you should join me in trying NaNoWriMo this year.
The Secret to Breaking Habits and Starting New Ones
Many writers struggle to create better writing and reading habits. You don’t need to sell your house and move just to stop yourself from finishing the day in front of the TV instead of at your desk, but you do need to get out of your house, or at least stop going into your entertainment room at night. I recently discovered three secrets that have enabled me to break some old habits almost effortlessly, and I want to share them with you because in all the articles I’ve ever read about this popular topic, I’ve never seen this approach suggested in quite the way I experienced it.
5 Lessons I Learned from NaNoWriMo 2011
November is over and so is the National Novel Writing Month challenge. I’m so excited to be a winner with 50,180 words validated around noon on November 30. Not quite the last minute, but I sure cut it close!
I feel extremely positive about my NaNoWriMo experience, partly because I accomplished a very difficult thing that I wasn’t sure I could do, but also because I learned valuable lessons throughout the thirty-day “seat-of-your-pants literary adventure” as Executive Director Chris Baty calls it. Below are five of the most important lessons I learned this year.