Lately I’ve fallen into the trap of sacrificing harder creative work for tedious-but-predictable busywork. How to crawl out of the trap?
Continue reading “Don’t Keep Going for the Easy Win”Category: Tips ‘n’ Tricks
Thicken That Skin!
They say we feel negative emotions more strongly than positive ones. Maybe that explains why when I receive anything vaguely resembling negative criticism on my written work, I get unreasonably nervous.
Continue reading “Thicken That Skin!”Dancercise! …For Those With No Moves
The only way I can motivate myself to exercise until I sweat—and I mean real, droplets-flinging-into-my-eyes-like-I-just-got-out-the-shower sweat—is by dancing with wild abandon. And yet I have no rhythm. That’s why I keep the windows closed.
Wait…my blinds collapsed a month ago. Never mind that part.
Continue reading “Dancercise! …For Those With No Moves”Productivity Talk: My Inner Ned, My Inner Homer
When I have a really successful week followed by a slack one, it’s like New Me seeing Old, More Successful Me across the backyard fence. New Me struggles to assemble a pool while Old Me happily trims the bushes.
“Hidely-ho, neighborino!” says Old Me.
“RRRAAAAAUGH!” screams New Me as the pool explodes.
Continue reading “Productivity Talk: My Inner Ned, My Inner Homer”Writers, Here’s Why It’s Impossible to Rip Yourself Off
Recently I realized that I like to repeat not just character types, but character ensembles. And my lack of creativity scared me.
Continue reading “Writers, Here’s Why It’s Impossible to Rip Yourself Off”‘Tis the Season to Relax-y
I wiped out hard this holiday season.
Continue reading “‘Tis the Season to Relax-y”End the Slog: How to Write, Finish, and Have Fun Doing It
So you’ve written 500 pages of your novel. Problem: you need a hundred more before you finish. And it’s really wearing on you.
Continue reading “End the Slog: How to Write, Finish, and Have Fun Doing It”How to Write After You Break the Streak
I told the world I would write every day. Then I stopped for a week. And now writing is scary again.
Continue reading “How to Write After You Break the Streak”What Is a LitRPG? A Simple Guide for the Deeply Confused
LitRPGs are like books plus video games. And while most websites defining them will assume you already know a lot about video games, I’ll pretend you’re my mom, who hates them and has no idea what kinds of books I’ve been editing for the past several months.
This explanation will be slow and methodical.
Continue reading “What Is a LitRPG? A Simple Guide for the Deeply Confused”Writing a Small-Scope LitRPG?
I’m striving to create a world that’s small but rich with hidden secrets. We don’t always have to save the world!
Continue reading “Writing a Small-Scope LitRPG?”