Burnout is a very real thing. Once you’ve been working on something for a long period of time (whether it’s a book, an art project, or anything, really) you can hit a point where you just can’t do it anymore. Even the thought of looking at your manuscript makes you exhausted. It’s difficult -- but …
Category: Tips & Tricks
The Art of Foreshadowing
One of my favorite literary devices is foreshadowing. It’s so satisfying when pieces of a story that starts off seeming small and insignificant come back later to play a larger role. And for readers who can pick up on those details, it’s like the author is giving them a pat on the back for paying …
The Power of Three
So, I’ve been thinking lately (a dangerous pastime, I know) and I’ve begun to notice a pattern in my writing. No, I’m not talking about similar story arcs or plot lines. I’m talking about the power of the three. I grew up on School House Rock and one of my favorites was always “Three is …
Second Time Around Tips — And Update!
Camp Nanowrimo is officially over and I am glad to report that I was able to complete my goal! I wrote at least an hour each day (most of the time, it was more). I was a little worried as to how this would work out with vacationing and all that fun summer stuff, but …
Unnecessary Words
I would like to begin by saying that no word is completely unnecessary. In the right circumstances, there are perfectly fine places for all of these words. When I say these words are “unnecessary,” I mean that some (or most) of the time they’re overused and don’t always add to the sentences they’re found in. …
Choosing the Perfect Genre
One of the first steps of planning a book is choosing the genre the book will be found in. While this may sound like an easy step of the writing process, it can be harder than you might think. For example, The Scavenger has parts that could be categorized into a few genres. I couldn’t qualify …
What I Learned From Publishing My Debut Novel
It’s been nearly five months since my debut novel, The Scavenger, was published on Amazon! The weeks have has flown by and I think it’s a good time to reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned from my experiences self-publishing. When I started writing way back in first grade, I had this vision in …
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Notebook: A Writer’s Best Weapon
Many writers (including myself) find organizing their thoughts pretty difficult. Notebooks can revolution the way you write -- if you know how to use them. Over the years, I’ve got my note-taking down to a science. Every piece of paper I have is there for a reason and everything has a place. Shown above are the …
So, You Wanna Be an Author?
Ever since I started spreading the new about The Scavenger getting published, I’ve been getting questions about the writing and publishing process. The most common question, by far, is how to actually start. There are so many people out there, even more than I realized previously, that want to be published authors. It seems very …
How to Throw an Unforgettable Launch Party
So, your book is getting published! Those hundreds, thousands even, of hours spent slaving over your manuscript are about to pay off. It's an utterly overwhelming feeling; a confusing mixture of fear, excitement and nerves. What's the best way to celebrate your book-child's birth into this world? A launch party! Launch parties are an author's …
J. L. Willow 