March 20, 2023

Appearances, Writing Tips

Upcoming Appearance! Storycrafting Sessions: Drafting Conference

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Hey, friends! Just wanted to give you a heads up that I’ll be appearing on a panel this Saturday, March 25, as part of the Storycrafting Sessions conference on Drafting!

This is a free event held over Zoom and Discord, where we’ll be chatting with a bunch of writers and breaking down different elements of writing craft.

I’ll be part of the “Crafting a Scene with 5+ Characters” panel at 4pm Eastern time, appearing alongside Kaki Olsen, Caitlin Marceau, Neve Maslakovic, and our moderator, Mar Vincent.

You can register for free here, or check out the whole lineup!

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November 1, 2022

Personal, Writing Tips

Reflections on NaNoWriMo, 20 Years Later

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Twenty years ago today, I wrote the first 2,000 words of my first NaNoWriMo novel.

I participated in NaNo from 2002-2007, and then again in 2012, as well as several personal “off-season” NaNoWriMo-inspired writing marathons. And though I don’t technically join anymore, it was such an influential part of my early writing life that it felt wrong not to mark this occasion.

So today, let’s take a look at the biggest lessons I gained from the experience—and how it continues to shape me as a writer even now.

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June 3, 2021

Announcements, Appearances, Writing Tips

Virtual Appearance - Storycrafting Sessions: Exploring Story Structure

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Hey friends! Just a quick update to let you know that I’m going to be appearing on a (virtual) panel on Saturday, July 3rd at 11am EST as part of the Exploring Story Structure conference! The topic is Plot vs Story: Balancing Action and Emotion, and the whole event is free to attend.

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June 10, 2019

Indie Superhero Summer, Writing Tips

So You Want to Write a Superhero Novel - #IndieSuperheroSummer

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Let’s be honest: a novel is not really the first thing that springs to mind when you say the word “superhero”—and that’s okay. These stories originated in the pages of comic books, after all, and once they fully jumped the gap to the big screen, they became one of the biggest sources of revenue in Hollywood. It’s easy to see why: the splashy, bombastic fight sequences; the glorious (or sometimes gloriously bad) costumes; the larger-than-life powers. It all translates incredibly well to visual forms of storytelling.

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