• 10 Ways to Prepare for NaNoWriMo

    We’re a few weeks out from the biggest novel writing challenge of the year: National Novel Writing Month! Every November, writers from around the world dedicate themselves to cranking out a 50,000-word first draft manuscript in 30 days. Tons of writers have gone on to publish their books after the challenge, and thousands have credited the process to help them finish a writing project that’s been sitting on their hearts for years. If this is the year you’ve decided to write your novel, you still have plenty of time to finish the first draft before the end of the year,…

  • Writing a Lot Versus Writing Well

    I think back to some college literature courses I took, and the required length of papers I had to turn in. It wasn’t uncommon to have to produce an eight-page essay, but hitting that page count was hard every single time. I found myself using filler words, expanding my sentences to take up more space. I traded direct and pointed sentences for ones that were way too long and wordy—and sometimes a little redundant. I think that focus to get as many words on paper sticks with us as writers, but it shouldn’t. In fact, when writing a book, the…

  • Resources For Self-Taught Writers

    Starting to write without any previous writing courses or education under your belt doesn’t have to be a setback. In fact, you’d be surprised to learn just how many successful writers were self-taught. Both Jane Austen and Mark Twain, among many others, largely taught themselves the craft of writing. The difference now is, self-education is much easier to attain than it was for Austen or Twain. This is thanks to the internet and the hundreds of writing books at our fingertips. Here are 5 tried and true resources to use: 1. Bookmark Merriam-Webster Dictionary on your computer By having quick and…

  • Tips For Writing a Book (and finishing it).

    As you may have experienced by now, once you start writing a book (or go back to finish one) you will come across self-doubt, indecision, and many more obstacles. Realizing this ahead of time and planning for those hurdles will help warrant you won’t quit on your writing project when they surface. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help keep you on track to finish that book.  1. Hold yourself accountable. If you want to finish this book you have to start by holding yourself accountable. Know that the finishing of writing a book falls on nobody but yourself.…