I've seen a trend recently--specifically in YA, but also in the larger media scape--of justified villains. That is to say, villains that...

I sent out my first queries this week. Honestly, I thought that it would feel different. I thought that I would have a rush of...

Why are there some books that just grab us? We can sit down, throw open the first page, and instantly be drawn in to new worlds that feel...

I think something that is unique to the arts industry is the need to have a thick skin. Rarely (actually it probably hasn't happened)...

Pretty sure there were a bunch of things told at me when I revealed I was writing my first book. Don't get me wrong, I love advice (hence...

Every genre has tropes. They seem to be especially prevalent in YA Fantasy (and consequently either loved or hated), but you can find...

I finished writing the first draft of another book this week (Manuscript 5). I didn't expect to, it just flew onto the page and now it...

I'm pretty sure everyone has heard the phrase, "Inspiration comes from everywhere." And no matter how many times it's thought, spoken,...

There will always be days when writing comes as a struggle. Sometimes we sit down at the computer--or with a notebook--all excited to get...

Many of my writer friends were found through Adrienne Young and Kristyn Dwyer's hashtag: #findmywritingcommunity on Instagram. When I say...

I am not an expert by any means. However, as I am beginning to prepare myself for the world of querying and traditional publishing, I...

We talk a lot about how every scene in a book should be moving the plot forward. This is one of those helpful-ambiguous statements that...

Some authors like to focus all their efforts on one thing at a time. Others, like myself, will have a handful of ideas that are...

See, the thing is, with all these lockdowns, I get to experience what it's like to be a full-time writer. Am I always home? No. Only when...

Everyone's process for revising is different. Heck, the process for each book by the same author probably looks different. It's more...

There are a thousand things that can be mentioned when talking about the "rules of writing." Where to break a paragraph, when it's okay...

While the other article about first draft errors was more on the side of getting to the finish line, this one is about actual writing...

There are a lot of rules about writing which are subjective. Things can be broken as long as it's broken well, in the right ways, and...

One of the hardest parts about being a writer is having all of these pieces of your world that you want to share, but that just aren't...

The old adage has been stated time and time again as one of the great sins of writing. But what does it really mean? And is it possible...