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. … Continue reading Unnecessary Words

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 … Continue reading Choosing the Perfect Genre

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 … Continue reading What I Learned From Publishing My Debut Novel

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 … Continue reading So, You Wanna Be an Author?

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 … Continue reading How to Throw an Unforgettable Launch Party

Titling a work (any work) can be one of the harder parts of writing. Whether it’s a novel or even a simple school paper, trying to condense massive quantities of material into a single word or phrase that is both memorable and packs a punch is no easy feat. There are a few ways writers … Continue reading Title Troubles

If you ask a writer what the most difficult part of getting a book from a computer onto a shelf is, they’re most likely not going to respond with ‘writing.’ Although this might sound crazy for those who are currently writing and asking themselves, “How is this easy?”, it’s not easy. No part of the … Continue reading The Social (Media) Network

A couple days ago, I was sitting with a good friend of mine named Emma. I was trying to think of something to write a blog post about. When I told her this, she jokingly responded that I should write the blog post about her. I laughed, thought for a moment, and then said, “Okay.” … Continue reading Why Support Groups are Crucial for Writers Everywhere

If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t actually know that self-publishing was an option when I first started writing The Scavenger. I was still under the impression that writers sent a printed copy of their manuscript to a publishing house and then (within a few weeks) would receive a letter back of either acceptance … Continue reading Self/Traditional Publishing