Coffee At Night
Coffee at Night? Finding Out the Best Time to Write, for You When you write is almost as important as what you write. (okay, I use the term almost loosely) It may seem like a simple question to answer: When...
Tagged: Writing
Shoot For The Moon
I was once given advice: Don’t set out to write a book, set out to write a #1 best seller. It is this mentality that made me always shoot for the moon. When I first started dreaming I always dreamed...
Stuck In The Middle, Again
As a writer, we’ve all been there. By “there” I of course mean a myriad of places. Especially the In Between. We’ve all stared at a blank page, a blinking cursor, or the sharpened end of a pencil. We’ve all...
How to Use Kindle Vella: A Complete Guide
Last Update: May 02, 2021 Recently, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), has opened a new way to tell your stories. Through a new app, called Kindle Vella, readers around the world will be able to log in, find your story, and...
Samantha Heuwagen and The Starless Series
One of our own does it again, folks! Team member and winner of the coveted super best person in the universe award, Samantha Heuwagen has out done herself once again. As you may know, the Starless Series is a tale...
What Dreams May Come
Dreams are open to interpretation. Do they have a meaning at all or is it just a random method of our brains firing off broken synapses as it slows down for the night? For writers, dreams can spark an entire...
Hemingway and Other Things You Shouldn’t Talk About
Hemingway Said, You Do Not Talk About Writing Rule number one: You do not talk about writing. Rule number two: You do NOT talk about writing! I always picture Brad Pitt walking around telling a group of authors all the...
This Blog Post Has Moved
The blog post titled “How Going Outside Will Make Your Book Better” is now a guest blog post for Between The Lines. You can find the blog and all of it’s wonderful information on the BTL website by following this...
Mar. 01 Writing Prompt
Welcome to a new month! A month of clock movement, warmer weather (hopefully) and writing a lot more words on your WiP. To start off the month, I want to begin at the ending. Essentially, we will talk about endings...
Playing God Is Torture
As a writer I have seen and heard it all. Everything from the mundane stereotypes all the way to the awkward assumptions. As a reader, I have read it all. Just like in movies, in a book everything has been...
Feb. 26 Writing Prompt
Another week’s worth of writing prompts gone and another weekend ahead. The shortened month has seemed to go really fast at times and slow to a crawl at others. Which brings me to today’s lesson/prompt. Time is a relative thing...
Feb. 25 Writing Prompt
Greetings, fellow kids. Today’s writing prompt is more practice on a combination of things. While you are writing this scene, think about the reader’s questions and their desire to have them answered. Keep the scene engaging. You also want to...
Wishing for a Writing Career? Careful, It May Come True
When you first start a writing career, you will have high hopes, a lot of drive and a whole lot of gumption. (Man, I love that word). The world of freelance writing is an alluring one. You will hear all...
My Rough Draft is Perfect! Right?
The Rough Draft is a Perfect Draft, for What it is Is your rough draft perfect? Of course it is! Most writers think of the rough draft as the start, but it begins far sooner than that. Every writer is...
Creating Word Count Goals
Word Count Goals and How to Make Them It’s all around you as a writer: set your word count goals and stick to them. Writing goals, words per day goals, hours per session goals, and on and on and Scooby...
Do You Have to Write Every Day?
There are a couple of adages running around the writer’s community. “If you want to write better; read a lot.” Also, “if you want to write better, write a lot.“ “Write every day.” That is what they tell you. The...
Jan. 28 Writing Prompt
A little late today, but it is still today. For today’s writing prompt we will look at more practice opportunities to build up your scenes and develop your characters. Just a simple one today as it is getting late. But...
Want to be a Better Writer? Name Your Characters
Why name your characters? Characters aren’t just some random made-up beings that do our bidding. Okay, so they truly are. The problem is a lot of writers out there treat them as such. Doing so makes them unbelievable. Just like...
Knowing Your Characters – Why I Do it and so Should You
What do I mean, “Knowing Your Characters?” Have you ever watched a movie and cried when a character gave a long, emotional speech, or when two characters finally realize they are meant for each other and hug and kiss? Knowing your...
Jan. 23 Writing Prompt
Next to scene development, character development is the other most crucial aspect of your story. It is so important in fact, that you can have a best selling novel that has absolutely no plot or action as long as the...
Jan. 22 Writing Prompt
Look at us go! 22 in a row! Amazing! They say if you do something for 21 days in a row it becomes habit. Perhaps they are right. All I know is that I set out to provide you with...
Creating Characters, Building Lives
Creating characters isn’t just about putting a name to some random text speaking entity. As the author, you play God. You breathe life into these paper dolls. More goes into even that though, at least for me. When I first...
Jan. 16 Writing Prompt
Hello kids! Today’s writing prompt is a little more straight forward. While there is still an element of teaching involved (as always) it is more about repetition. Practice. There is an old saying that practice makes perfect. But this isn’t...
Jan. 15 Writing Prompt
Today we mark the half-way point of the month! Congratulations on making it this far into the new year. I hope that you are still working on your goals, resolutions, plans or whatever changes you told yourself you would make...
Writer’s Block Doesn’t Exist??
First and foremost, please forgive any semblance of attitude this post may bear. I have been taken out of my sorts by a recent article I read about writer’s block. In short: it pissed me off. I will not link...
Jan. 11 Writing Prompt
Shall we continue our New Year’s tradition with the 11th writing prompt of the year? Yes! Okay, then. This lesson is geared to ALL writing types. I don’t care if it is poetry, copywriting, novels, those notes you make on...
Why You Should Read Your Work Out Loud
As writers, we tend to have this belief in ourselves that can only come from the inside. It is a great thing. That little voice inside that tells us “You can do it, this is fantastic, keep going!” It’s that...
Jan. 09 Writing Prompt
I am a little late to the party today guys, I apologize. But, since it is still technically the 9th where I am (at least for a couple more hours) it still counts! Today’s prompt is another specialized one. It...
The Biggest Killer: Self-Doubt
Literary agents, publishers, editors, synopses, query letters… all scary things, all demanding, demeaning. Sometimes they can be daunting, haunting, loathing as well as loathed. Oftentimes heartbreaking, disconcerting, dispiriting. None of them hold a candle to yourself. You truly are your...
Jan. 06 Writing Prompt
Today’s prompt will be something fairly easy for a lot of you. If you are a creative writer, then it will be a huge advantage. On the other hand, if you struggle with writing, then the prompt may be more...
Jan. 03 Writing Prompt
People ask me about the daily writing prompts (well, okay, no one asks me – BUT, I figure it is at least worth mentioning). “What happens if I miss a day?” I assume they are talking about themselves, but since...
A Synopsis, After A Query, Starting With a Hook
Write me a synopsis. But first, write me a query. Make sure you start your query letter with a hook. Writing about what you have written about makes as much sense as skinning a lion before it is dead. Synopsis,...
A Brief History of the Masterclass
Where did The Extra Draft Writing Course come from? Here is a brief history of its conception through today (Plus a BONUS SURPRISE announcement!!). Are you ready to get personal? It All Started About 10 Years Ago… It all started...
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