writing

Choose Your Words for 2021 During This Online Journaling Workshop!

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Happy New Year, friends! I hope you enjoyed your December holidays and are ready to start 2021 on the right foot. Last year was tough for everyone, though we also can’t lose sight of the positive or amazing things we experienced. The latter is something I definitely want to remember . . . which is why I’m excited to announce this special online journaling workshop! 

On Monday, January 18, I’m hosting Choose Your Words for 2021: A Journaling & Intention-Setting Workshop from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern. This event, which will be via Zoom, is designed to be a fun and creative way to use journaling to set intentions and put your hopes for the year ahead into words.

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Win a Critique of Your First Three Chapters from Me via Writers Helping Writers

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Happy Holidays, everyone! This morning I’m excited to share a special December contest for writers:

Starting today, you can enter to win a critique of your manuscript’s first three chapters from me, thanks to Writers Helping Writers!

It’s part of Angela and Becca’s annual Advent for Writers giveaways. I’m so honored that they asked me to be part of this year’s festivities, and I already can’t WAIT to read the winner’s chapters!

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Guest Editor Again for Today’s Critiques 4 U Contest at Writers Helping Writers

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Writers Helping Writers

It’s happening again: Angela and Becca of Writers Helping Writers have invited me back as the guest editor for their Critiques 4 U contest! (*happy dance time*)

In case you’re not familiar with it, Critiques 4 U is Writers Helping Writers’ monthly contest in which three writers are selected to have their story’s first page critiqued by Becca or a guest editor. It’s a fantastic way to get free feedback on one of the most important pages in your manuscript from a resource you trust, and I’m THRILLED to be back again for the November edition.

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New DIY MFA Post: Why Is the Theme of Man and the Natural World Important?

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How often do you come across nature? Even if you live in an urban area, the answer is probably, “Every day.” The natural world impacts every aspect of our lives, from our commutes to and from work and our weekend plans, to our ability to breathe and the soundness of our homes. We could even say that our relationship with nature is as ripe with conflict as the relationship between two characters in a story.

Maybe that’s why so many writers have explored the theme of man and the natural world in their work. But why exactly is this theme important? I explore five of those reasons in today’s edition of Theme: A Story’s Soul at DIY MFA.

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New Post at DIY MFA, Plus a Quick Note

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“How is topic different from theme?” This very question bubbled up while I was working on my previous Theme: A Story’s Soul post. So I figured, “Why not explore it further?” Many writers mistakenly use the terms “topic” and “theme” interchangeably, and this would be the perfect opportunity to explain how they’re different – and how topic is actually a vehicle for illustrating theme.

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New at DIY MFA: Identifying Literary Themes in Our Poems

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When my previous DIY MFA post went live, I might have mentioned it was the first of two posts I’d write about literary themes and poetry. 😉 So today’s post is the unofficial part two! It’s about identifying themes in the poetry you write using the original source of the poem’s inspiration (or, rather, what the poem’s about), your reasons for writing it in the first place, and the emotions you were feeling that influenced the poem’s tone. I also share examples from my own poetry to explain this process, then end the post with a thoughtful question: Why is it important for a poet to know the themes they cover in their work?

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Looking for Feedback on Your Story’s First Page? Check Out Today’s Critiques 4 U Contest at Writers Helping Writers!

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Writers Helping Writers

OMG, I’m so excited, everyone! Helping out Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers for their Critiques 4 U contest back in March went really well. So guess what? They asked me to come back for this month’s contest! 🙂

If you’re working on a story or manuscript, or if you didn’t get a chance to enter the March contest, continue reading to learn how you can enter this month.

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New Interviews at Coach Daddy and SheBreathes

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Hi, everyone! I’m here to share not just one recent interview I’ve done, but TWO. 🙂

First up is a #GirlsRock interview with Eli at Coach Daddy. The #GirlsRock series is dedicated to highlighting women who are doing amazing things and making the world a better place. Some of the women Eli has interviewed in the past include journalists, podcasters, TV reporters, and musicians / artists. So I’m honored – and psyched! – to be featured on Eli’s blog again. (I wrote this guest post for Coach Daddy back in 2015.) We talk about my editing / writing coaching business Heart of the Story, poetry, and my one piece of advice for women who enjoy writing.

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New at Writers Helping Writers: This Month’s Guest for Critiques 4 U + Guest Post on Writing Flashbacks

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Writers Helping Writers

Yes, I’m posting on Tuesday instead of Wednesday this week! Why? Because something AWESOME is happening at Writers Helping Writers today, and I don’t want you to miss out on it.

Today, Writers Helping Writers (run by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus and other best-selling resources for writers) is running its monthly Critiques 4 U contest. The rules are simple: Comment on this morning’s blog post within 24 hours of it going live, and you’ll be entered for the chance to be one of three (3) writers to receive feedback on the first page of your manuscript.

Usually Becca critiques the three winners’ first pages. However, she and Angela have invited a special guest editor for this month’s contest: yours truly! 😀  So if you’re working on a story or manuscript right now, keep reading after the jump for more details.

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Let’s Talk Numbers: Poetry Acceptances and Rejections (Plus, Four Ways to Stay Motivated After Your Writing Is Rejected)

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When I was preparing my final poetry submission of 2018 during the last week of December, a surprising question popped into my head: “How many submissions did I send out this year?”

You see, I don’t set goals for a certain number of submissions each month or year, especially since poetry is still a part-time endeavor for me. Instead, I continually write and revise my poems, read various journals, and submit to places that I think would be a good fit for my work. And while I track my submissions, it’s mainly to remind myself of the facts, like which publications I’m waiting to hear from and which poems are currently out on submission.

So, for those reasons, I really had NO idea how many submissions I’d sent out in 2018. (*lol*) And not knowing that number made me curious. So I reviewed my tracking sheet, did some math, and decided to blog about what I found, with some relevant tips to boot.

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