In October 2016, I began working up the idea for a new story. It involved a dangerous race that started with the contestants entering into drug-induced amnesia. As you can imagine, memory loss was a big part of the story. Fast-forward to January 2017. My parents moved back to Pennsylvania from South Carolina because my father needed extra help caring for his wife. Although I knew my stepmom was having issues, it wasn’t until I […]
Archive | February, 2019
Working On Multiple Projects
Industry Life, Writers Toolbox, Writing Life
I’ve never been the kind of writer who writes best with multiple projects cooking at once. Some of my friends are at their happiest and most productive when juggling at least two different stories simultaneously, but I prefer to work on only one book at a time. Once I get that book to the end of whatever stage it’s at, whether it’s drafting, big-picture revisions, or line edits, and I’m waiting on feedback, that’s when I […]
Back to the Basics
Inspiration, Writing Life
As some of you might know, I’m into boxing (the kind where you punch things). As some of you might not know, I’ve been coming back from an injury recently. I’ve been doing a lot of physical therapy— lots of stretching, lots of small and methodical movements, lots of careful placement of my body as I do activities that I’ve been training to do for quite a while. I promise this has to do with […]
A New Method for Antagonists
Beginner Resources, Writers Toolbox, Writing Life
I’ve had the pleasure over the past few summers to teach at Duke Young Writers’ Camp. One of my favorite courses was a Dark Fiction class for middle grade students. It was an opportunity to walk young writers through fiction that really pushes the boundaries. Unsurprisingly, many of my young writers go a little too far. One infamous story featured a villainous assassin targeting a list of grandmothers. It was a great opportunity to talk […]
PubCrawl Podcast: We’re Back!
Miscellaneous, PubCrawl Podcast
The PubCrawl podcast is officially back! JJ and Kelly reunite with a sprawling discussion about organization and goal setting as it applies to writing and publishing. JJ has kicked her reading rut at last, and Kelly is deeply in love with spreadsheets, per usual. We missed you! Show Notes Goal Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Time-Bound Aspirations are things that you’re working toward, and hoping for, and might have limited control […]