In writing or anything else, the first step in achieving a goal is setting realistic expectations. National Novel Writing Month expects 50,000 words. A half marathon expects 13.1 miles. These expectations are clear and measurable, and when taken on with the right mentality, achievable. (Or at least that’s what I’m told.)   When you ask […]

Two years ago, I established a designated weekly writing time. When we moved in with my in-laws this summer, I established a couple of mornings each week as editing time. In the last few months, I realized something else—something rather elementary—needed to find its way into my schedule as well: reading books.   Novel writing […]

Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Harding recently posted five writing tips in Publishers Weekly, and one in particular stuck out to me:   “It’s true, too, that your writing can only be as good as the best readings you’ve given of the best books.”   Harding makes the point that a writer need not simply read […]