Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels It's been awhile since I've posted, but all for good reasons. In the beginning of 2020 I had been really stuck on my current book in progress, and I wrote a blog post about that exact topic. I had no idea what to do next and was trying to figure it all … Continue reading Improving My Writing
Tag: writing process
Dreaming of Adventures
Cape Tribulation, Australia Last year for my birthday, in addition to getting me a gift, my husband Matt drew me a picture of my stuffed koala “Brekkie.” It was so thoughtful and I knew it had to have taken a lot of time and work! So when Matt’s birthday rolled around, I was racking my … Continue reading Dreaming of Adventures
Staying Home
Photo by Kelly Lacy from Pexels Being forced to stay home and cancel social obligations should be a writer’s dream, but I’m actually finding it difficult to write. Uncertainty isn’t the best climate to spark creativity, and when I do try writing, it’s centered around doom and gloom (hence my last blog post) and not my upbeat, normal … Continue reading Staying Home
Writing in a Time of Chaos
After my self-doubt post, I enrolled in a Coursera class focused on the craft of writing. I have to say, I've already seen a difference. It really makes me contemplate word choice to ensure the desired effect. For this week's assignment I was tasked with writing a 500-600 word short story. As soon as I … Continue reading Writing in a Time of Chaos
“I doubt anyone will read this.” Thoughts on Self-Doubt
"Do you mind reading this blog post? It's probably not good anyways." Those are the words I uttered to my husband after I wrote a draft of this blog post, which is ironic since this post is all about self-doubt... Some days I open the manuscript or essay I wrote and think it's the best … Continue reading “I doubt anyone will read this.” Thoughts on Self-Doubt
New Year, New Goals
I'm a big fan of setting goals rather than resolutions for the new year. For me, resolutions are something I might do for the month of January and then when February rolls around, I usually forget they ever existed. Personally, I find it more meaningful to set goals for the new year that are attainable … Continue reading New Year, New Goals
Dealing with Rejection
Writers are no stranger to rejection. It's par for the course and something that is to be expected. Even though you know in the back of your mind that rejection is bound to happen, you still have grandiose dreams of being the sole exception. That vision that as soon as you send out your precious … Continue reading Dealing with Rejection
The Importance of Beta Readers
When I was a child, I shared my stories with my friends and family. Being naive, I thought everyone wanted to read my writing, and I even thought my stories were quite good. I was so confident in my writing that I even wrote stories for people as their Christmas gift; lucky them! I loved … Continue reading The Importance of Beta Readers
Character Development
When I write a book or short story, creating a character is one of the most enticing parts of the writing process for me. It's really exciting to be able to mold a character, figuring out how they would act in a certain situation, their likes and dislikes, and even creating a name. So how … Continue reading Character Development
Why I Write
Recently, I have seen this question keep popping up on Twitter: "Why do you you write?" At first glance that is easy for me to answer, I don't know how to not write. Ever since I can remember, I've been writing. But why do I do it? Writing has always been a part of who … Continue reading Why I Write
Diane Billas 