Are Writers More Prone to Depression and Anxiety?
Did you know…? “…writers are around eight times as likely to suffer from mental illness than those who don’t pursue writing as a career, according to Kay Redfield Jamison, a psychology professor at Johns Hopkins who wrote Touched with Fire.”
National Book Writing Month: Join the Challenge!
November is National Book Writing Month. It is our chance to make good on our book writing goal for the year. So much has happened in 2020—from a pandemic and social distancing angst to protests, a national election, and virtual learning/work-from-home adjustments for many of our families. It’s been tough, but we are tougher. We are resilient.
Compassion + Empathy: the superpowers of writing that resonates
While many first-time writers begin with wanting to tell their story, it’s not so much the story that is needed, but the connection to the story that informs a sense of awareness for one’s own needs, desires, and motivations are what connects them to others’ needs. This is what makes good writing…
What Is a Literary Agent, and How Can You Get One?
Literary agents can be an author’s best friend. Like traditional publishing in-house editors, they are professionals who know the book publishing industry well, and they are solely the author’s advocate. Bringing an agent on to be your partner in finding the right publisher for your manuscript could be the best thing you do for your writing career.
It's Your Move: Respond. Recover. Reimagine.
Trends that were up just before the crisis are down during and coming out of it. Categories that were performing at a low or average rate before the crisis are soaring in the midst of it. The big questions for you, writer, is how do you pivot if what you were writing fit a category that was in demand but now is not as we all mend from the COVID chaos?
May Writing Prompts for the Christian Writer
Don’t let the blank page intimidating you. With writing prompts, you have the benefit of beginning your writing session each day with a theme, topic, or focus. The goal is that, as you write according to the prompt, you can be led into writing what you need to write. Here is how I challenge the writers I coach to take full advantage of writing prompts…
Let's Talk Author Websites and the Fear of Being Seen
This morning, my eyes took a B-line to Jim Woods’ article “Do You Need a Website?” I was immediately drawn to his article because while I’m a writer, I also do some agenting. And so, I get queries from aspiring authors almost daily who do not have websites. When I see submission forms come across my email with the website field left blank, for me, that is an automatic pass. I’ll tell you why.
In the Midst of It All, Your Writing Still Matters
You’ve probably found yourself bobbing between figuring out how to get groceries and everyday living essentials in the house while keeping COVID-19 out, how to help your kids follow their schools’ new virtual programs while trying to meet the demands of work that help fund the whole operation, and praying and watching the news for updates while grieving your own losses and empathizing with others’. It’s a lot. But I am stopping by to say this: your writing still matters.
How to Write a Best-Selling Book with Best-Selling Author Cindy Trimm
On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Cindy Trimm interviewed me live on her Facebook Page about “How to Write a Best-Selling Book in Record-Breaking Time.” If you did not catch it live—or maybe you want to watch it again—click the image below to watch the replay. It was fun.
April Writing Prompts for the Christian Writer
Don’t let the blank page intimidate you. With writing prompts, you have the benefit of beginning your writing session each day with a theme, topic, or focus. The goal is that, as you write according to the prompt, you can be led into writing what you need to write.