It's that time of year again for goal setting. I always struggle to find that balance between pushing myself and creating unrealistic expectations, but no matter what, I'm far more driven if I've written them out. For each of these goals I've also set some deadlines and broken them down into steps, like a to-do …
Tag: writing
About the Science: The Island Experiment
I have to say, nature is even wilder than the imagination. I really enjoyed dreaming up creatures to inhabit the island, but real life had plenty of inspiration for me to draw from. If you haven’t read the book yet, be warned that there are spoilers below! Grab a copy of The Island Experiment (Kepos …
Another Nanowrimo Failure
I’ve got to say, failing nanowrimo this year was pretty rewarding. I only did a week’s worth of actual writing, but I’ve done a lot of book and writing related tasks that were absolutely necessary, so I have no regrets. Here’s the wrap up of what I learned. Final word count for the month (all …
Nanowrimo Bujo: My Novel Bullet Journal
I’m super excited to share this because I think it will help me write faster and more consistently. I might end up completely wrong about this, but either way, it’s going to be a fun experiment. I’m going to participate in nanowrimo this year. Despite having a bunch of publishing tasks for The Island Experiment …
Plotting Tip: Pen and Paper
I took an unintentionally long hiatus from my blog posts during October. A combination of being sick all month, not sleeping because my son’s also been sick, and a hard deadline of getting The Island Experiment (Kepos Chronicles, Book 3) to my wonderful editor, I’ve been at capacity. Now that the book is off my …
3rd Quarter Goal Check In
There are three months left in the year, and I have a lot left to accomplish. I need to implement beta reader feedback, send my book to my editor, implement her feedback, format it, get proofs, and publish it. I also want to get a draft of Book 4 down. Looking back at my goals, …
How to Beat Writer’s Block
Writer’s Block is built up in the mind of every writer, kind of like the monster under the bed. It scares us. It hinders us. It saps our productivity. Except I don’t really believe in Writer’s Block. Like the monster under the bed, I think it’s a story. Hype. Meant to scare writers like you …
Six Tips for Giving a Good Writing Critique
When I first joined my critique group, The Hourlings, I read every “getting started” document they had posted. There were several resources explaining how to give a good critique, and I benefitted from reading those resources before diving into critiques. Now that I feel more comfortable in the group, I realize that my critiques have …
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The Writing Process: The Beta Draft
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 …
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 …
Erica Rue 