by Bethany Jett, @BetJett One of my favorite online mentors, Brendon Burchard, has a key phrase: "Protect your mornings." Let's apply that beautiful advice to our writing and schedule specific times to actually work on our craft. Know Yourself. Are you a morning person? A night owl? Do you work…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills A writer writes. A writer edits. A writer submits for publication. A writer is rejected. A writer ? How do you handle rejection? Do you crawl under your desk and quit? Or do you view the news as an opportunity to rework the writing project and…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills We writers have habits, some quirky, that help us begin new writing projects. Today I’d like to share with you how I organize my thoughts and preparations before writing chapter one, line one of a new novel. I’m mostly an organic/pantster writer, but some things I…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills I live and breathe story—most writers do. And we’re always looking for ways to ensure our characters and their predicaments are exciting and unique. Some of the places we look can be a bit . . . different. But the exploration is worth it. Here are…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills I bet you’re thinking that this article is about fishing. Well it is, and it isn’t. We all have our favorite novels, rich stories that send us into the lives of our characters—and even become our friends. We’re walking with them, sharing their joys and sorrows,…

by Alycia W. Morales     @AlyciaMorales One of the best pieces of writing advice I received when I was just starting out was to start small. Don't aim for the book deal. Rather, start with a blog. Find your voice. Develop your writing skills. Read a lot and learn the craft.…