It's that time again! Halloween approaches, and just around the corner is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo! Whether you're planning on writing your entire novel or just using NaNo to create a habit of writing (always a great idea), I've got a round-up of posts that can help put you in a great starting position. Here, we have my Preptober series, a four-part hot-to prep your book and get yourself ready to meet those daily work counts! I cover everything from getting s

I know what it's like. You start out with a great idea, you've got all this momentum, you get halfway through your book, and wham! The words just stop flowing. No matter what you do, you can't recapture the shiny newness of that initial creative burst. I’ve written six books so far in THE CIRCUIT FAE series. Further, I’ve been an editor for a number of small presses, helping authors make their publishing dreams a reality. Today, I'd like to let you in on my secret of why I'm

It's December, and you know what that means - NaNoWriMo 2018 is officially ended! Congratulations! Whether you "won" NaNo or just dipped your pinkie toe in, developing a writing habit is hard, and you should seriously be proud of ANY steps you took in that direction. But, now what do you do with your 50,000-ish word work-in-progress? A lot of people think that they need to rush out and hire an editor. You could, but ask any published author, and she'll tell you that after one

Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to NaNoWriMo: Preptober planning! If you missed an earlier post, have no fear! Here are some helpful links: Week 1: Preplanning Week 2: The Who, What & Where of Your Novel Week 3: Outlining Your Novel And now, for Week 4! We're in the home stretch, so this post will focus on the practicality of writing, creating a habit that will get you in the chair every day for thirty days. Because remember: butt + chair = productivity. 1. Break it Down

Welcome back, my pretties, to Preptober: Week 3! Last week, we discussed the who, what, and where of your story--your main character (MC), their Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts, and how to detail your setting. This week, we'll go a little deeper into the what. Namely, what happens in your book, the plot. But first, it's good to know that there are two basic different types of writers: plotters and pantsers. Like it sounds, plotters plot out their "what happens," while pants

Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to Preptober: Week 2! Last week, we went over a few things to prepare you for diving into NaNoWriMo on November 1st. This week, I'll talk about my own process for outlining and developing a novel. And now the obligatory credentials post: I'm a senior editor for a romance e-publisher, and I've helped hundreds of authors design, develop, and outline their novels. I find it's helpful to start basic: with the who, what, and where of your novel

Hello, my pretties! November is coming up fast, and you know what that means--NaNoWriMo! For those who might not know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It happens in November, and it challenges writers of all skill levels to complete a rough draft of approximately 50,000 words in one month. That's one huuuuuuuuuge task! But I'm here to help you break that huge task down into smaller, more manageable chunks, and soon, you'll be on your way to completing that 50,000 w

Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to NaNoWriMo: Preptober planning! If you missed an earlier post, have no fear! Here are some helpful links: Week 1: Preplanning Week 2: The Who, What & Where of Your Novel Week 3: Outlining Your Novel And now, for Week 4! We're in the home stretch, so this post will focus on the practicality of writing, creating a habit that will get you in the chair every day for thirty days. Because remember: butt + chair = productivity. 1. Break it Down

Welcome back, my pretties, to Preptober: Week 3! Last week, we discussed the who, what, and where of your story--your main character (MC), their Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts, and how to detail your setting. This week, we'll go a little deeper into the what. Namely, what happens in your book, the plot. But first, it's good to know that there are two basic different types of writers: plotters and pantsers. Like it sounds, plotters plot out their "what happens," while pants

Hello, my pretties, and welcome back to Preptober: Week 2! Last week, we went over a few things to prepare you for diving into NaNoWriMo on November 1st. This week, I'll talk about my own process for outlining and developing a novel. And now the obligatory credentials post: I'm a senior editor for a romance e-publisher, and I've helped hundreds of authors design, develop, and outline their novels. I find it's helpful to start basic: with the who, what, and where of your novel

Hello, my pretties! November is coming up fast, and we know what that means--NaNoWriMo! For those who might not know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It happens in November, and it challenges writers of all skill levels to complete a rough draft of approximately 50,000 words in one month. That's one huuuuuuuuuge task! But I'm here to help you break that huge task down into smaller, more manageable chunks, and soon, you'll be on your way to completing that 50,000 wo