“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison
I have been trying to pin down exactly what has contributed to my lack of productivity in the last few months in terms of my WIPs. While I have been relatively consistent with posting on this blog over the intervening months, I have not been nearly so diligent about making sure I am devoting time… Continue reading Writing Isn’t Safe
I wrote a couple weeks ago about my conversion from a pantser into a plotter. Since then I have continued to hammer away at this outline and I thought it would be interesting to talk about my experience with it so far. Firstly, I still find my new and improved method of plotting leaps and… Continue reading Diary of a Pantser Turned Plotter: Status Update
I think most people in the writing blogosphere know what a pantser and plotter are by now, but just in case you don't, here's a quick definition: A "pantser" is someone who writes based on their intuition, or "flying by the seat of their pants." A "plotter," however, well....plots. That isn't to say pantsers don't… Continue reading Why I Converted From a Pantser into a Plotter
Warning: The following contains butt-hurt and the overuse of commas. Viewer discretion is advised. I'm not afraid of putting my nose to the grindstone in the name of telling a good story. I can close my door, cancel plans, wake up early, stay up late, suffer blood-letting editing session after blood-letting editing session. I can be… Continue reading Adventures in Writerland: The Ugly Truth About Success in Publishing
Being a writer is- ..spending hours trying to describe how a character walked through a door. ...looking up synonyms for "said" every other sentence. ...typing for 3 hours straight and then deleting everything but one sentence the next day. ...having 10 works in progress you're probably never going to finish. ...imagining yourself discussing your books… Continue reading Being a Writer is…
If anyone were to look up from their dinner plates at me at this moment they would see someone on the verge of taking a plastic spoon from her empty soup bowl and gouging her own eyes out. I'm at a restaurant under the false impression that I am going to be doing some writing… Continue reading That First Damn Line
Recently I was introduced to a gorgeous poem by the late Charles Bukowski called "so you want to be a writer?" Here's a small exert: if it doesn’t come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don’t do it. unless it comes unasked out of your heart and your mind and your mouth and… Continue reading The Most Beautifully Awful Writing Advice Ever
I'm not going to lie. I had many, many illusions about blogging when I started The Crooked Pen. I thought that, with enough vigor and talent I would be able to flock hundreds of thousands of people to this site. I had seen other blogs similar to this one and I thought I had them… Continue reading How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog
I never thought procrastination would be so simple, but I found a way. I found a way. I set out working on chapter seven of my story and somehow found myself plunging into the ether of pop culture sludge. For literally no reason at all, I began looking into the Drake and Josh controversy. In… Continue reading How Drake and Josh Are Destroying My Novel
It's been an inexcusably long time since I update this blog, I know. I try to update at least once a week, but this obviously hasn't been happening recently. I have a good reason for this, however...... Okay, not a good reason, but it is a reason nonetheless. You see, I've actually been writing recently.… Continue reading I’m Still Alive and Also Writing Things, or Going on a Writing Bender
The Crooked Pen 