I don't know what I love to do more: discuss writing struggles or read about them. Knowing that well-known, lucrative authors experience the same letdowns and insecurities as I do is comforting. It's also quite cathartic to talk out my issues. The solidarity in the writing community is so strong, with many who have "made it" eager to tell you that their journey to success was not linear, was in fact full of setbacks, sleepless nights, self-doubt, and the desire to quit all to

I'll be the first to say it: I'm no Stephen King. I'm not Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, or Chigozie Obioma. In other words, I'm not a familiar, respected name in the writing world. At least not right now. I'm working on it. But as a long-time member of said writing world, I've researched and picked up processes that work for me. Here I'd like to share the most useful tips I've gathered from famous authors, grammar and editing books, literary agents, podcasts, and blogs. Eve

It's time for another 5 Things post! This is a series where I let my readers get to know me, my writing process, and my influences a little better by listing my top five things in a particular writing-related category. Today I'm talking about PODCASTS. I credit my dad for getting me into talk radio. Whenever we were in the car together, he was always introducing me to something new. We listened to a lot of music (I also credit him for exposing me to jazz, reggae, and hip-hop,

The year was 2008. I had just finished my first year of college and was back home for the summer. Over the course of my freshman year, I'd learned that college classes were far more intense than their high school counterparts, realized that maybe a Communications degree wasn't for me, and made (and lost) tons of friends across the 11 floors of the close quarters of my co-ed dorm building. One of those friends is still in my life to this day, is in fact my best friend, and tha

I have two small children whom I love with all of my heart and then some. They're fantastic, both of them in their own ways, and I can't imagine life without them. My four-year-old is bright, silly, perpetually indignant, loves carbs, does parkour off every surface he can find, and asks about 7,592 questions a day. And I just gave birth to another little boy on February 10 of this year, a squishy little thing who's very alert, very chill, and very cute. Needless to say, I've

My mom passed away on July 7, 2018, and this Mother's Day, May 10th, was my second one without her. I have a lot of mixed feelings regarding this holiday. In most ways, I'm sad not to have a mother to celebrate with, of course; I miss her dearly and think of her every day. In some ways, I'm glad for her because she was very sick and now she is, I believe, well and at peace. And I'm a little angry, too, because she took herself away from me, because my mom was only 57 years ol

As an emerging author (of, hopefully, multiple books and a wildly popular blog) I think it's important for everyone to get to know me, my writing process, and my influences a little better. Also, aiming for transparency here, who doesn't like talking about themselves? So I've decided to start a new series called !!!!!!! For the record, I got this idea from a list of blog ideas I pinned to my writing board on Pinterest (it's called Writerly -- check it out) and I ran with it.

Time for some new material! Writers will commonly work on multiple projects at once. It's almost impossible to resist pursuing a brilliant idea when it hits you (especially if it's 3 a.m. and you have to wake up early the next morning!) We Are Eternal is my main squeeze at the moment, but I've been having affairs with other projects. "Honey... there are others." Next in line as a publication hopeful is Way Down Low (a working title). The tone of this work is different from th

Almost any writer will tell you that music and writing go hand-in-hand. Here's a list of all the songs I listened to on repeat while penning and editing and re-editing my young adult novel, We Are Eternal. Some are lifted from soundtracks of YA book-to-movie adaptations. Some are just radio bops from 2017 (the year I was editing). All of them capture the "heart" and spirit of the novel. Listen to these lyrics without reading the book, and you'll know what this story is about.

I love discussing the writing process with other people, especially other writers. We're all so different, the way one operates obviously unique to the individual. From what I've discovered through research, conversations, and observations, every writer tends to naturally fall into one of two categories: plotters and pantsers. As illustrated above, plotters outline, create detailed character boards for their characters, and may even follow a strict writing timeline ("I plan t