I once took a screenwriting class, and in our first session the professor emphasized how important it is to make our writing time “holy.” When he said that, I found myself nodding in agreement. I thought of how easily I get distracted from my own writing because I don’t place enough value on the time […]
Read moreWent or gone? Refer or recommend? Here’s a quick refresher on how to use these tricky words correctly. Went vs. Gone WENT and GONE are both forms of the verb TO GO. WENT is used in the past tense (also known as the preterit/preterite tense): I knew I needed to study, but I went to […]
Read moreRecently a friend asked if I would speak to his brother, Scott, who had written a novel and wasn’t sure what path to publication he should pursue. I agreed and had a brief email chat with Scott to set up a time to meet for coffee. Scott had a link to his website in the […]
Read moreA character arc is the way a character changes or grows throughout the course of a story. The change can be physical or emotional, and it doesn’t have to be major, but you want your main characters, especially your protagonist, to experience some sort of transformation along their journey. At the beginning of your story, […]
Read moreWriter’s block is the worst. The worst! When it strikes and I find myself sitting at my desk, staring at nothing, I often feel like my white laptop screen is snickering at me and sending me horrible thoughts. You suck, Maria! Who are you to think you can be a writer? Why don’t you just […]
Read moreBefore my novel Bridges came out, a fan of mine who lives in Texas asked if I’d be doing a virtual launch party. I told her I had zero idea what that was, so she (Veronica) offered to plan one for me on Facebook. With all kinds of events happening online these days, I thought it […]
Read moreAre you confused by when to use IT’S and when to use ITS? If so, you have every right to be, because the correct way to use ITS goes against the general rule we’re taught about apostrophes. Here’s a refresher on the difference between the two: We normally use an apostrophe when something […]
Read moreI recently read a novel that was heavy on dialogue without a ton of attribution (e.g. adding “she said”), which I like, because I don’t think a conversation needs that after every single sentence. However, the author of this book had a habit of going two or even three pages into a conversation without any attribution of […]
Read moreI live in Brooklyn, so when I stumbled across a book club that specializes in novels set in New York, I reached out and offered to come speak to the group. The club moderator agreed that Katwalk would be a perfect fit, so we set it up. Guess how much time passed between when I […]
Read moreHere are three building blocks of a good marketing campaign, with resources for each: Website If you want to be perceived as a professional writer, I strongly recommend hiring a professional to design your website. Here is an excellent one I recommend: Andiamo Creative: www.andiamocreative.com (Andiamo Creative did my current website.) If you’re good with […]
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