CREATE. WRITE. THRIVE.
Where do you keep your lists, research, and inspiration for your works-in-progress? Are you a digital devotee, or do you prefer to keep it “real” with paper and ink? While digital organizers definitely have their place, I’m a fan of … Continued
How do you set writing goals? * I have a bad habit of listening to alternative hits from my junior high days during the last week of the year. It sends me down this weird path of melancholy … Continued
We’re winding down 2018, almost ready to close it and put it on the shelf. (Am I the only one who bawls during Rudolph’s Shiny New Year, during Father Time’s song?) I’ve been doing some reminiscing and a little analysis … Continued
Huzzah, you made it–NaNoWriMo: The Finish Line! Here we are on November 30th, ready to ring in December and wave so-long to another NaNoWriMo. I hope this month was more than you hoped it would be. I didn’t get to … Continued
Oh, November! It’s such a wonderful but horrifically busy month. No normal routine will suffice. To navigate November, we need powerful habits! Of course, there’s NaNoWriMo and the holidays. On top of that, there’s the daylight savings time change, … Continued
What do you do when fear strikes, when it feels like your writing’s no good? We’re well into NaNoWriMo, and the emotions are doing what they do — shooting us high and dropping us low! For me, it’s … Continued
Happy, happy NaNoWriMo!! I hope you’re off to a great start, burning up the keyboard with your plot map, creating a colorful cast of characters, putting all that research to good use. But if you’re slowing down, dreading the blinking … Continued
Map your plot! Confession: When talking shop with another writer, if they tell me they don’t plot their novels, my heart sinks. It’s not because I’m a novel snob. (But, I mean, aren’t we all?) It’s because I’ve … Continued
Think of your favorite story. Have it in your head? What makes it your favorite? Chances are, it’s the cast of characters. Whether you side with the hero or the villain–or even the winning sidekick–the characters make a story come … Continued
Bittersweet! It’s finally cooled off a little here in our part of the world. From eighties to this morning’s mid-forties, we have weather whiplash at the Smith Creative Headquarters. But no matter how balmy or breezy, it’s still Preptober! And … Continued