November 1st was the first day of NaNo (read my last post if you’re not familiar) and while I’m on track with my word count (average of 1667 per day!) that doesn’t mean it’s been smooth sailing. There’s been fall cleaning (like spring cleaning but the opposite—you know what I’m talking about), a minor thing called the World Series where my second favorite team FINALLY WON, and the warmest November we’ve had in a long time, which required me to be outside as much as I can. But those don’t make my top ten list. Are you ready? Here we go!
writing / editing
OhNaNoMyWriMo
It’s that time of year! The leaves are turning, pumpkins are being carved, and writers across the internet are gearing up for National Novel Writing Month.
Deconstructing a Cookie
How completely overhauling a novel is like changing an oatmeal-raisin cookie to chocolate chip.
How Editing is Like Painting a Merry-Go-Round
About a month ago I decided to refinish the merry-go-round in our backyard. (Yes, it came with the house and is the kind you find on playgrounds. We also have a bouncy duck, a digger thing, and we had a 4-person teeter-totter before a drunk driver destroyed it last February.) It’d been on my long-term …
Reading While Writing
The first few years that I was writing, I was convinced that if I read novels while actively writing my own, the styles of those already-published novels would somehow leak into my writing, making it unauthentic. I saved reading as a reward for completing drafts and would binge for several weeks, gobbling up the stories I’d …
I’m in Writer’s Digest & Biz is on Instagram
I’m even more all over the internet than before. First, the Writer’s Digest issue that features the winners of the Self-Published eBook Winners is finally out! Second, Biz has her own Instagram account!
2016 Goals: Pushing Out of My Circle
At the beginning of this year I challenged myself to break out of my circle, meaning I needed to get myself and my books in front of people I didn’t know. I’m happy to report that since then I’ve added the following experiences to my list: 2 3-Day Conferences (Women’s Expo & Comic Con) 2 …
News! Feel Good Update! And Books for Sale!
This has been a BUSY week! After six weeks of writing at maximum speed (which for me is 1000+ words per day) I’m excited to share that I’ve finished the first draft of The Slope Rules! I still have a long way to go with editing, editing, a writing conference, and more editing, but I’ve …
One Step Closer to World Domination… as an Author
I finally have an official writing chair! It even has WORDS on it! This has been my dream since seeing my aunt‘s chair at least seven or eight years ago. Squee! Don’t mind the artwork that’s still on the floor. Soon it will be complete!
The Calm After the Storm
This past spring was, to put it mildly, rather chaotic. I had several book events, including two the week FADED released, so I took a much-needed break through the beginning of August. But now I’m back and ready to roll! I have four fun events scheduled this fall, plus I’m writing my next YA novel! …