Sager Says—My Unlikely Conversation with a Best-Selling Author

It was by design that I was at Mike Sager’s talk with Chuck Klosterman on the University of Arizona campus during last month’s book fair. It was also by design that I harassed ever single writer and editor at the event that I could get to bend an ear in my direction. It was completelyContinue reading “Sager Says—My Unlikely Conversation with a Best-Selling Author”

To Post or Not to Post– A Cry For Help to Fellow Writers

I have reached a dilemma. To this point in my career, all of my published (and, therefore paid) work has been in magazines, plus a little bit of marketing to pay the bills. Though I love (and I really do love) writing journalism and everything that comes with it, I would say that I amContinue reading “To Post or Not to Post– A Cry For Help to Fellow Writers”

JUST KEEP MOVING!– A Hiker’s Guide to Writing Fiction

I am lost. I am in the middle of nowhere, wandering aimlessly, and I am almost out of water. What do I do? My instinct– Bail. Curl up into a ball and weep for my misfortune. When hiking in the Arizona desert, this is the equivalent of death. But as a writer, I have toContinue reading “JUST KEEP MOVING!– A Hiker’s Guide to Writing Fiction”

How long should it take to write an article or blog post from scratch?

I read a lot of posts on how long it should take to write an article or blog post, and as I sit here considering a particular 1000-word piece for a local magazine that is taking me way too long on the research end, I realized something– though maybe my hourly rate for this pieceContinue reading “How long should it take to write an article or blog post from scratch?”

Getting to Know Your Characters– Exercises for Your Mind

Someone much more talented and wiser than I can ever hope to be (I think it was Paulo Coelho) once said that all writers must write from experience. After all, it is all we know (I crudely paraphrase, of course). As such, when working on a bit of fiction from a perspective that is anyContinue reading “Getting to Know Your Characters– Exercises for Your Mind”

5 Tips To Help You Become a Successful Freelance Writer and Editor

You love to write. Though you may not be a professional, you are dedicated writer. You get up in the middle of the night to jot down story ideas and have even called in to work because you “got the bug”. There has got to be a way to get paid for this, right? Right!Continue reading “5 Tips To Help You Become a Successful Freelance Writer and Editor”