Now that Halloween has passed, we’ve found ourselves in November and at the beginning of the NaNoWriMo marathon. For those participating – good luck! We hope you exceed your writing goals – even if that goal is simply to write more words than you had yesterday.
This month, our attention was captured by sneak peeks into writers’ lives, many discussions of diversity, and treating our writing careers like start up businesses. Read on!
Inspirational
Are you someone who loves to stalk take inspiration from successful writers in order to motivate your daily writing life? Look no further: Victoria Schwaab has collected the day-to-day routines of 18 different authors, all happy to give you a peek into their writing routines.
Ever wondered how sports and writing could possibly relate? Heather Jackson has revisited some of the things that training as a gymnast has taught her about writing.
Many people have goals to visit a certain number of countries, or all the U.S. States. Well, what about reading a book from each of the 50 states? Click here to see a map that suggests 50 great YA, state specific reads.
Ever wondered what it’s like to be a debut writer? Libba Bray has a hilarious selection of off the cuff letters for you.
Writing Life
There are lots of different avenues that lead into a writing life, but almost all of them hearken back to getting some good, old fashioned encouragement. Sarah Selecky has written a list of things she wished she’d known before becoming a writer, and it’s as comforting as it is inspiring.
Nadia Cornier has taken the act of writing and applied the principles of running a start up business. Interested in the craft behind branding yourself and building your career? Take a look.
There’s never a perfect time to write. You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again. Yet, every so often, we need a reminder. Erin Bowman has written a lovely essay that gently reminds us to keep on going.
Craft of Writing
Another month, another post on writers block. Susan Reynolds has broken down 5 reasons you may be experiencing writers block, with perfectly actionable solutions that should see you pounding the keyboard again in no time.
The craft of finishing a draft is one thing. The craft of taking time off between drafts is another thing entirely, yet just as important to both your wellbeing and your novel’s progress. Mandy Wallace has some great advice on how to take a much needed break.
On Publishing
Rachel Seigel has written an interesting post on Publishing Crawl that takes an honest look at the publishing industry and the potentially negative effects of being a superstar writer.
Diverse books has been a MAJOR topic of conversation in recent months. Here are some of our favourite links below…
