Be Happy, but Don’t Ever Stay Satisfied
When I self-published my first book, I didn’t feel as satisfied as my ten-year-old self imagined. I didn’t feel a weight being lifted off my chest. I didn’t jump for joy. I certainly didn’t feel like all my problems were over. I just felt normal. It was just another day. I think I know why the Satisfaction […]
Publish Unique Thoughts, not Original Ones
Every writer feels the pressure to be original. It’s hard to get a story noticed if it’s anything like the billions of stories that are already out there. Certain publishers and literary agents won’t pay attention to concepts that they’ve seen a thousand times. Old ideas are referred to as tropes and archetypes as if […]
How a Writer Should Read a Book
“Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” — Stephen King Every writer knows that there are two surefire ways to improve: write every day and read all the time. They’re both excellent pieces of advice that […]
Turn Your Phone into a Writing Machine
I have a problem. I’m addicted to my laptop. My laptop is where I do all of my writing. My articles, my short stories, and the countless rough drafts for my novels. It houses all of my magic. If I wasn’t addicted to it, I wouldn’t be much of a writer. The only problem with […]
Write an Army of Short Stories Before Your First Novel
Short stories are underrated. They tell stories almost as well as novels if not better than some of them, but they take about a quarter of the time to read. Despite this, they’re often seen as the toy you give away rather than the video game you play over and over again. I love novels, […]