It’s that time of year again: National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo). I’ve participated in Nanowrimo 1.5 times before, but usually find myself too busy as a teacher to dedicate enough time to writing. This year, there’s so much going on that I’m writing to preserve my own sanity—so participation is mandatory(ish). I present to you…
I’m having an issue. I have so many ideas that lead to so many awesome projects that I start… …and don’t finish. Currently, there’s my WIP (work in progress), which stands at 60 chapters and 80,372 words and is so close to the finish line, but needs another round of revision on the first and…
At a panel discussion in 2015, editors gathered to discuss the lack of diversity in the publishing industry. Editors noted that “writers of color [WOC] face insurmountable challenges,” acknowledged that “the game has always been rigged,” and concluded that “publishing is a privilege.” Five years later, the publishing industry is still overwhelmingly white (79 to…
I’ve just finished The Water Dancer, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I’m still digesting, but thoughts on the novel are forthcoming. All good thoughts. This month, my reading is a little all over the place. In April, I did a lot of retail therapy in the form of purchasing books, so now I’m sorting through the aftermath….
Yesterday was the first day of the last year of my twenties. 30 is now officially less than one year away, and there are so many things I thought I would do by then. When I was a kid, I fully expected to be married by now, with one child here and another on the…
The most highly-respected field of knowledge in my WIP’s world is history. The Alzenians value history because they know how powerfully one’s story can contribute to self-knowledge and self-esteem. They value history because it was robbed from them on Earth, leaving their youth lost and depressed, and they vowed never to let this happen again….
It takes me about three-and-a-half to four weeks to write the first draft of a full-length novel, and that’s writing anywhere between two to four hours a day. How I do that is really simple. I use the Pomodoro Technique. Pomodoro means that you do only one thing for 25 minutes (in this case writing),…
I’ve decided I’ll keep writing, even though the future seems uncertain. What if I waited too long? This is the thought that lurks at the back of my mind 24/7. Three and a half years ago, I was in the throes of a deep depression. It was a horrific experience and it has stayed with…
It is no strange concept that places leave impressions on us. We form deep connections to the places where we’ve been, places where we’ve had deep experiences. The same can be said for our characters in the stories we write. What places matter to them? How do they map their worlds? I’d like to start…
I did not choose travel. Travel happened to me frequently when I was young, most often without my permission. Three cities. Ten houses. Two middle schools. Three high schools. A thousand different phone numbers. In the final days of ninth grade I came home and found my mom in tears. Crying because we were being…