Hello Writer’s Podcast + Blog
What Kind of Feedback Do You Need?
I’ve talked before about how important it is to get feedback on your writing at all stages of the writing process. But what does that feedback look like? There are many different types of feedback you can ask for, and many different ways it can be...
Keep Your Language Active
Some might argue that what I’m going to talk about today, which is using active rather than passive language, is something that can be fixed later, in revisions and edits, and that’s definitely true. But let's look at it as more of a mindset more...
3 Steps to Define the Genre of Your Book
This post originally appeared on Medium in April 2021. Highlights are from readers. There are three steps we should all take to clarify and confirm the genre of the books we are writing. Let’s talk first about why it’s important to know, I...
Use a Mentor Text to Up Your Writing Game
This post originally appeared on Medium in March 2021. Highlights are from readers. We all know that it’s important for writers to also be avid readers. But today I want to talk about what it means to study a book for certain structural elements or...
6 Reasons to Keep Writing
This post originally appeared on Medium in February 2021. Highlights are from readers. 1. Your story matters. It matters because it is a snapshot of the human experience (yes, even sci-fi/fantasy/horror-monster stories!) These snapshots build a...
Know the End From the Beginning
This post originally appeared on Medium in February 2021. I wanted to title this article “begin with the end in mind,” one of Steven Covey’s trademarked 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. But alas, that phrase was already taken. It’s all about...
What Writers Need to Know About Why Readers Read
This post originally appeared on Medium in February 2021. Hopefully, if you are a writer, you are also a voracious reader. This is the most effective way to understand story and craft. It’s also worth it for writers to consider why readers read,...
Build Your Support System
This post originally appeared on Medium in February 2012. I think that most writers, especially those in the early stages of developing a writing life and/or career, probably think that the support comes once the work is mostly done, whether it’s...
The Gift of a Graph
This post originally appeared on Medium in February 2021. I’d been writing in circles, creating a first draft that was decidedly not working. The problem was that I had two main characters who were alternating as narrators, and I couldn’t keep...
Hook Your Reader on the First Page
This post originally appeared on Medium in February 2020. Highlights made by readers. You know how some books stick with you for years? Perhaps it was the shocking twist at the end, or the content resonated with something you were going through at...
