Pitch Wars, for those who don't know, is a yearly contest run by author Brenda Drake. To get in, you submit in a sample chapter and query letter for a completed novel to four different mentors in your target age bracket and genre. Mentors then choose one mentee to help polish up and present to agents. I applied... Continue Reading →
Creativity Jumpstarters: Story A Day and DIY MFA
Continuing on the theme of jumpstarting one's creativity with great and unnecessary side projects, let's talk about Story A Day. Story A Day is a challenge, often called the Nanowrimo of short stories, that dares you to start and finish one story everyday of May (and sometimes September). There are no word limits on the stories and no... Continue Reading →
Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em: The Beauty of Side Projects
I have been in the midst of editing. Editing my work, articles for TUBE., and projects for friends and family. There's a certain rigid mindset necessary for that kind of work. You have to be able to cut and comment with enough certainty to convince the other person (or yourself) that you are right, that your... Continue Reading →