• Death is a Roommate pt 1

                I dreaded the doorbell ringing. Even though I’d put out the notice for a new roommate, I still hated the idea. When Lizzy moved back home, I’d thought that would be the worst part. But now I have to interview people? And potentially live with a stranger? Ick. The entire thing made my skin…

  • Where Ideas Come From

    For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a notebook with random ideas in it. It started as a pocket notebook, but grew into a normal size book. There’s also a folder along with it now, with pictures, notecards, and snippets printed off the internet. I strongly advise any writer to do the same.…

  • Reading like a Writer

    I’ve always loved reading. But I’ve also always been the type of reader that tears through books and moves on quickly. I’ve struggled with digging deeper. But I’m working on it. And here’s a video with some tips on doing just that in case anyone else struggles with it too.

  • I’m Writing A Series

    My current writing project is a series. I’m looking at at least four books to run the plot through. But this is going to be my first series I’ve ever written and so I’ve been looking at all the tips and tricks to doing it effectively. One of the most talked about ideas is creating…

  • An Ode to Audiobooks

      Dear Audiobooks,   Without you in my life, I don’t know where I would be. Reading in print takes so much time and devoted energy that I just never have anymore. But then I found you, sweet audio, and my life has changed forever. Once I was able to devour multiple paperbacks and hardbacks…

  • Writing Tips 5

             As I plot out my next book and finish up the first draft of my writing tips project, I keep coming back to the subject of character development. Because we all know that the most important part of any book is who the stuff happens to. If no one cares about your main character,…

  • Writing Tips 4

    I’m deep into the plotting of my new series that I hope to write in the next year. And as I’ve been working through my plotting process in real time, I’ve been making notes to include in the book I hope to have out this fall and thought I’d compile a bit of it here…

  • Senses Exercise 5

    **When we are intensely using one of our senses, we sometimes block out the other sense, for example, closing our eyes when we experience an intense sound, taste, smell, or touch.**          At first, she’d thought the blindfold being tugged over her eyes had been a prank. Justin was always doing stuff like that and…

  • More Creative Penn for your Day

    I know I gush about Joanna Penn enough, but I would literally be lost without her podcast/newsletter/books etc, etc. So on the theme of plotting, planning, and all that nonsense I rambled on about on Thursday, here’s another one of her interviews.

  • Plotter and Pantser

    I have made significant progress on my nonfiction project in the last month. It’s a bit of a mess, but at least it’s a mess on paper and I can clean it up and make something interesting out of in the end. What I’ve been thinking about recently is the plotter vs. pantser argument. And…