So I finally figured out a way to properly define book ratings so that they make sense to me, and (hopefully) will make sense to my readers. I’ve always struggled with the traditional five-star rating system, because there’s so much room for misinterpretation. For instance, if someone rates something four stars, does that mean it…
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The 5 Best Writing Tips I’ve Ever Received
First I want to take a minute to say THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my last post or followed my blog after I wrote the post ‘The 5 Worst Writing Tips I’ve Ever Received.’ It was really thrilling to have so many people engaged in the conversation, and I hope we can keep…
Read MoreThe 5 Worst Writing Tips I’ve Ever Received
As someone who tries to write very consciously and deliberately, I like to pay attention to writing tips from agents, publishers, and other authors. I also got a fair few back in English classes when I was a young’un in high school. I’ve seen some pretty awful writing tips in my day, and I wanted…
Read MoreThe Life of a Young Writer (Through The Many Faces of Jennifer Lawrence)
In honor of Jennifer Lawrence’s win at the Oscars on Sunday (which only served to redouble my blossoming love for her) I decided to make use of her acting talents and multifarious faces to express some of the trials and tribulations of being an aspiring novelist. WHEN I FINISH A DAY OF EDITING WHEN AN…
Read MoreThis Is What Obsession Feels Like
Obsession [uh b-sesh–uh n] (noun) 1. The domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, desire, image, etc. What was the last thing you were obsessed with? Something so gripping that you just couldn’t get it out of your mind, that your waking and dreaming moments were defined almost exclusively by that one thing? Maybe…
Read MoreWriting as Devotional Act
I just read a wonderful op-ed piece about writing that was completely inspiring for me. I blog a lot about books, but not so often about the craft that goes into creating books, and I wanted to take a minute to appreciate the creativity and devotion that goes into writing. The article, published on Dec.…
Read MoreBook Review: Slant of Light by Steve Wiegenstein
Blank Slate Press, a young, indie publishing company in St. Louis, Missouri, is putting out a new historical fiction book this spring called Slant of Light. I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the book, because I’m also lucky enough to be able to call the founder of Blank Slate Press “Mom”. So…
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The Z-Axis 