New Year, New Goals

I'm a big fan of setting goals rather than resolutions for the new year. For me, resolutions are something I might do for the month of January and then when February rolls around, I usually forget they ever existed. Personally, I find it more meaningful to set goals for the new year that are attainable …

Dealing with Rejection

Writers are no stranger to rejection. It's par for the course and something that is to be expected. Even though you know in the back of your mind that rejection is bound to happen, you still have grandiose dreams of being the sole exception. That vision that as soon as you send out your precious …

Czech it Out!

I've decided to take a break from my normal posts about writing to talk about my recent travel adventure to the Czech Republic. This trip came at the exact right time for me. I was feeling really tired and burnt out, not from one thing in particular; I just needed to get away and recharge. …

The Importance of Beta Readers

When I was a child, I shared my stories with my friends and family. Being naive, I thought everyone wanted to read my writing, and I even thought my stories were quite good. I was so confident in my writing that I even wrote stories for people as their Christmas gift; lucky them! I loved …

Character Development

When I write a book or short story, creating a character is one of the most enticing parts of the writing process for me. It's really exciting to be able to mold a character, figuring out how they would act in a certain situation, their likes and dislikes, and even creating a name. So how …

Why I Write

Recently, I have seen this question keep popping up on Twitter: "Why do you you write?" At first glance that is easy for me to answer, I don't know how to not write. Ever since I can remember, I've been writing. But why do I do it? Writing has always been a part of who …

The Power of Perseverance

I have always known I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, but I've had numerous road bumps along the way, ranging from receiving extremely negative feedback about my writing all the way to difficulties with the English language. When I was younger and divulged my life-long goal of becoming a writer to …

A “Vacation” from Writing

Vacations are essential for everyone to take if possible; it’s a chance to recharge and help put your life and your writing into perspective. If I don’t have a vacation planned I become antsy. I need a trip to look forward to; something to help me get through any tough day. Taking a vacation, whether …

Making Time for Writing

Photo by Jordan Benton on Pexels.com Finding time to write that novel you have always been dreaming of creating is the hardest part of being a writer, because if you are like me, you have a day job, a social life, and extra-curricular activities. And honestly, some days, even if none of that existed, you …

Developing Story Ideas

One of the first questions I receive from someone who is interested in my writing is “How do you come up with the ideas for your stories?” Well, the old saying, “write what you know” works hand-in-hand with many of my ideas. For my first book, One Minute at a Time, I took bits and …