My Writing Toolkit: The First Adventure

Welcome to the first installment of My Writing Toolkit, where I share my efforts to strengthen and galvanize my writing, including real samples of my own rough drafts – both before and after! These adventures, for the foreseeable future, are largely intended to improve the quality of my prose rather than focus on big-picture, structural issues.

Why do this on a rough draft, when some of this may change or vanish altogether in future drafts? Why not just wait until later?

Three reasons!

Ready for Writing Inspiration? Try Reviewing Your Own Novel!

There's no denying that some days, writing feels like an endless slog.

Plots that were humming along tangle as mercilessly as a pair of earbuds in your purse.

Characters set sail for parts unknown, determined not to reveal their secrets.

Every sentence starts to sound the same.

While there's no substitute for hard work or a nurturing rest, sometimes we just need some good ol' fashioned imagination to refresh our creative spirit!

And so today you're going to review your own story, with all the love and joy it would receive from the world's biggest fan of your books. This is a delightful exercise to hold onto and revisit whenever you're feeling creatively dispirited, to remind yourself of the potential and what's special in your work, whether you reread a review you've written before or write a new one each time.

How to Rewrite a Novel: 6 Starter Steps

In the process of writing a novel, there's a lot of excitement (and dread) around getting to the editing stage, but not every writer realizes there's potentially another stage along the way: rewriting.

While not every novel needs a full rewrite, many do, especially earlier on in a writer's career or when they're venturing down a new creative path.

So what exactly does this process involve, and how do you know whether to embark on rewriting a story?

What to Do After NaNoWriMo: 9 Steps to Take

Another year, another NaNoWriMo! If you're one of the hundred thousand-plus writers who participate, you’re likely familiar with the duelling qualities of chaos and accomplishment that accompany you through the month ... and equally familiar with the post-NaNoWriMo slump.

You may feel exhausted, out of touch with how it feels not to be galloping towards a daily word goal with a global community cheering you on.

What's a writer to do?