It’s amazing how much lighter I feel now that I’ve got my beta draft finished and out to beta readers. I can focus on plotting and writing, which are much more fun than editing. In addition to feeling happy and relieved, I also feel anxious. What if I screwed this book up big time? What …
Category: Blog
August Motivation: Commit Every Day
There are many in the writing community that crank out thousands of words an hour, edit a book in a week, and publish a book every month or two. That is not my production model, and that’s okay. Maybe one day I’ll hit that stride, but for now, all I can do is improve my …
The Writing Process: Editing a Draft, Part 2
The editing saga continues. If you’re interested in Part 1, here it is. This post will make sense as a stand alone, though, so don’t feel obligated. My next step in editing is something I learned from Liz Hayes, the organizer of my writing group, The Hourlings. This has been one of the most amazing …
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Ghostwriting: Should you sign your name?
Today’s post might be a bit controversial. It about ghostwriting, and whether it’s a good thing. In my opinion, it depends, though I’m wary of the practice. When I think of ghostwriters, typically, I think of celebrities (or sometimes non-celebrities) who have a personal story or memoir to share, or an expert in a certain …
The Writing Process: Editing a First Draft, Part 1
Editing is a tough, exhausting process. It’s not glamorous like writing is. No one talks about the Editing Muse, though maybe we should, because she’s just as important. You’d think by my third book, I’d have a good idea of my editing process, but alas, like everything in my life, it’s a work in progress. …
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Productivity: How to Utilize Those Spare Moments
People talk about completing tasks or learning new skills “when they have time.” I am a firm believer in making the time for things that matter. It’s easy to complete passive activities, like watching Netflix, and it’s important to plan for down time, like reading a book or scrolling through Instagram, but if you’re like …
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Writers Are Readers: Beach Week Edition
I am sitting on a comfy couch in the top floor of a beach house, enjoying the chunk of time that exists between my son’s bedtime and my own. I’ve only been here a day, but I’m already diving into my beach reading. Some people might like to read one book at a time, but …
The Writing Process: Drafting with POV Chapters
Last week, I didn’t write a post. It was the end of the school year, I had some family stuff going on, and all of my spare writing moments were put into working on the rough draft of The Island Experiment, Book 3 in The Kepos Chronicles. It was absolutely worth it, because I finished …
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2019 Writing Goals: The June Check In
With five months behind me, I thought it would be a good time to go back and look at my goals from January to see how things are going, and if I need to make any adjustments. It might make more sense to do this in July, half way through the year, but I'm a …
May Motivation: Where are you stuck?
People say that you don’t need motivation, you need discipline. I agree with this sentiment one hundred percent. At the same time, sometimes we get stuck, or feel down, and what we need is a little inspiration to lift us up so that we can recommit to being disciplined. So if you’re in need …
Erica Rue 