I’ve been writing my first book for nearly two years. It has taken me this long to realize something that’s crucial to the success of my memoir: It’s okay to let myself ramble. More than okay. To write a good memoir, I have to force myself to ramble. I’m best at writing in a newsy […]
For every newbie author, there are firsts on the road to publication. There are the Big Firsts, like landing your first book deal and seeing your published book on a store shelf for the first time. But there are also lots of Little Firsts, firsts we each need to experience before hitting the big ones. […]
Does anyone else feel overwhelmed when they’re about to start a revision? I can deal with little changes. But big-picture changes, ones that will improve the story arc or theme, fixes that are arguably the most important — those feel daunting. Then again, what wouldn’t feel daunting when looking at a 273-page document? (About 84,000 […]
Writing an awesome memoir requires being honest with the reader. This is pretty basic, Memoir Writing 101. You’ve got to reveal your true self through your story, because if you don’t, readers will know it. They might not be able to put their finger on it, but they’ll know something’s off. If you’re not completely […]
Literary agent Nathan Bransford had a great post recently on finding your literary voice. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot as I dig into another revision of my travel memoir. One of the elements I’m focusing on is my voice. Rachelle says my voice is still too journalistic, not memoir-y enough. I […]
Before I get to the meat of this post, some good news: I’m almost done* with my last round of revisions. That’s right, my LAST* round! I don’t want to say my manuscript will be complete by the end of the month, because we all know I never meet my self-imposed deadlines. I’m giving myself […]
… is to finish revising! Between now and the New Year, I’ve got a lot going on. Not only will I be spending time with family and friends, next week also is the last week before my self-imposed revision deadline. That’s right: by January 1, I’m hoping to finish revising my book. So rather than […]
Slim pickings in my Google Reader this week. Here are my faves: Does Social Networking Kill the Author Mystique? Does it sell books? Questions raised by thriller author Jason Pinter. Please stand to the right (if you’re a loser), from adventurer Alastair Humphreys. “Standing on the right (of the escalator) is a metaphor for complacency,” […]
Halfway through December already?! Only three more weeks to meet my revision goal. Links from this week: Writer’s Digest brings you: A big mistake to avoid in story openings. Since I’ve rewritten my first two chapters about thirty times, I took note. Writer Ami Spencer asks, Where does the muse come from? She links to […]
Now that I’ve finished a draft of my book, I need a new deadline. Or maybe I should call it a goal. Deadlines, in my mind, aren’t flexible, which is both a blessing and a curse. Missing deadlines makes me feel guilty — I am a journalist, after all — and I rarely meet the […]