Goals: Shoot for the Moon, but First, Build a Rocket

Goals: Shoot for the Moon, but First, Build a Rocket

The importance of goal-setting dominates a lot of the conversation when it comes to having a productive and meaningful writing life. There’s lots of (good and bad) advice out there about how to set the right goals for you, including SMART goals (Specific,...
Six Ways to Make the Most of Writing Conferences

Six Ways to Make the Most of Writing Conferences

This year, I had the privilege to attend Thrillerfest, an incredible annual writing conference put on by International Thriller Writers, for the second time. The whole experience was a blast, and I learned a lot, both from the workshops themselves and from the rest of...
Endings, Pt. 4: Delivering on the Theme

Endings, Pt. 4: Delivering on the Theme

When people think about incorporating theme, it can conjure cringe-worthy images of characters preaching to each other about the author’s intentions and cornily weaving in a “moral” that leaves readers feeling condescended to. One of my favorite...

Godspell

My mother’s faith began with a pack of cigarettes (menthol miracle) and a nap with a Western Civ textbook on her chest dreaming of jeans in a sea of togas. She met Jesus on the Mount and then in buckskins, asleep, seven feet tall. He opened his eyes at her from a...

One more week for Pitch Wars!

Just one more week until we find out mentor picks for Pitch Wars! If you’re a writer and interested in getting manuscript feedback, check out the contest to enter next year: http://ow.ly/RqhJ7