My Blog
My Year in Books: Occult October
My reading goals suffered a bit this month because I've been hard at work on my YA fantasy novel. But with Halloween in the air, and my novel being about witches, I had a hankering for some spooky supernatural books. The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier (MG horror...
Outlining for Pantsers, Part 2
Last week, I discussed the value of outlining your story. Some “pantsers” turn their noses up at the outlining process, but don’t knock it till you try it—even experienced pantsers (I used to be one myself) can find it helpful. Here’s the outline I use, adapted from...
Outlining for Pantsers, Part 1
It’s mid-October, and you know what that means… Whether or not you’re participating in National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo), now is a great time to talk about the bane of approximately 50% of writers: the dreaded outline. Self-proclaimed “pantsers” tend to...
My Year in Books: Sequel September
This month I read sequels of several beloved books, which were just as magical as their predecessors. The Stars of Summer, sequel to All Four Stars, by Tara Dairman (MG contemporary) The Dragon of Never-Was, sequel to Hatching Magic, by Ann Downer (MG fantasy) The Sea...
Lessons from the Day Job: Show, Don’t Tell
As some of you know, when I’m not writing, I work as a materials engineer at an aerospace company. I recently had a conflict with one of my coworkers—I’ll call him Mr. Antagonist. Although it made my job very stressful, it ultimately taught me something about writing....
My Year in Books: Beloved Author August
Though still busy with my YA fantasy work-in-progress, I managed to make some time for reading this month. For the Beloved Author theme, I read books I'd never read before by authors I already knew and loved. A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (mystery). Other...