Novel writing is an emotional rollercoaster. It begins with feeling overwhelmed. There is nothing as intimidating as a blank page. Then there is the feeling of excitement when ideas begin to flow. Then you feel the satisfaction of creating a world from scratch. Then there’s frustration when you’re hit withContinue Reading
Have you ever created a photo journey for your story? My novel The Beached Ones is the first book I ever researched by traveling the route my characters take. I drafted the book first, and once I had all the key locations down, grabbed my mom (who loves to travel),Continue Reading
I think that any good writer is emotionally challenged at some level. Otherwise, how could we create and write about the emotionally damaged characters in our stories? Readers expect authenticity in our characterizations. If we haven’t felt things like grief, anxiety, depression, love, and fear, then how can we createContinue Reading
My first novel launched my fiction writing career, and I’m grateful for everything that happened with it. But with the benefit of hindsight, I can see several things that might have helped me progress a little faster. In case they may benefit you, I’ve written them down here. First NovelContinue Reading
For those who are Type A personalities like myself, it can be difficult to shut off and relax. When you’re a Type A personality and a writer, you often feel like downtime is wasted time. Any time that I’m not at work or sleeping is time that should be spentContinue Reading
It wasn’t long ago that I was going through the editing process for my new novel, The Beached Ones. This is my third traditionally published novel (and my sixth published novel), so it’s not like I haven’t worked with editors before. But this experience was my best yet. I’m happyContinue Reading
by Jennifer Brown Banks My initial exposure to poetry began at about age 12. Back then, teachers and school administrators chose me to participate in the “Gifted Student Program”–a program for advanced learners. Poetry was a weekly requirement, along with classes in creative writing. I fell in love at firstContinue Reading
I have always wanted to write novels, the seeds planted in my early childhood. What spurred my passion for writing? Reading. My parents always read to my older sister and me and I became immersed in the stories — whether they were fairytales or the witty musings of Dorothy ParkerContinue Reading
Do you have blurbs for your book? If you’re like most writers, you’re already groaning. We work super hard writing, editing, and publishing the book. The last thing we want to do is go begging people to read it and say good things about it. Asking for Book Blurbs: YouContinue Reading
The biggest emotional challenge of writing? The waiting. So much of writing and the publishing process takes an immense amount of time. Months can go by with no movement, no change, and as a result, you can feel completely hopeless and out of control. What You Can Control While WaitingContinue Reading
How’s your writing nook looking? Could it use a little sprucing up? After a long winter of writing work, you may have a few too many papers, post-it notes, files, notebooks, and other “stuff” cluttering up your space. As you look around, you may feel like what you’re seeing isn’tContinue Reading
I think the biggest emotional challenge for most writers is rejection. Writing is a competitive business. There are way more authors needing publishers than publishers needing authors. So, rejection is more the rule than the exception. But it’s still hard to take. I usually can’t write at all for aContinue Reading