Finding Light amid Dark Genres
How Authors Writing Heavier Stories Manage Their Mental Health In the middle of research, author Terry Wells-Brown had to step away from her story. She’d interviewed a district attorney in charge of human trafficking for her book, but in the process of learning about the topic, it became too much to write about. She realized […]
Two Birds, One Net Gain
How Nature Can Improve Your Health and Your Writing Desiree Smith-Daughety If the longer, warmer, and sunnier days leading into summer don’t lure you outside, away from your desk, this might entice you: going outside in nature is good for your mental and physical health, and for your writing. As writers, the work we do […]
Celebrating Inclusive Stories
A Q&A with Disability Book Week Founder Mary Mecham Nicole Schroeder Author Mary Mecham is passionate enough about books to have a collection of almost three thousand of them in her house. “It’s basically a library here,” she jokes. She shares the passion with her two daughters, both of whom have rare genetic conditions that […]
Unleash Your Creative Juices: The Science Behind Brain.FM for Authors
Chelle Honiker Facing the blank page, with the cursor blinking like a beacon of wasted time, writers often find themselves in a silent standoff with their own creativity. The challenge goes beyond simply putting words on a page; it’s about summoning the muse, maintaining focus, and breaking through the barriers of writer’s block. This is […]
Hone Your Home Writing Setup with these Easy Ergonomic Techniques
Ergonomic Workspaces Protect Your Health and Your Career’s Longevity Wendy Van Camp As authors, we navigate the landscape of our imagination, but at the helm of our adventures is an often-unacknowledged force: the ergonomics of our writing space. Even if it doesn’t seem to matter much in the short-term, the setup we choose can shape […]
Give Your Brain a Break
How to Balance Life and Work as a Creative We often think of work-life balance as an aim to keep work separate from our personal time. But as writers, our stories are almost always on our minds. For us, the traditional work-life balance might not exist; instead, aiming to separate our creative time and non-creative […]
Six Ways to Keep ‘Con Crud’ at Bay
Tips for Staying Healthy This—and Every—Conference Season Coined “con crud,” the influx of colds, flu, COVID, and other illnesses that happen this time of year is often on the minds of conference attendees and a factor to consider when preparing for a work trip. Conferences can offer authors countless opportunities for career growth and […]
Writer Parents: Prepare!
Keep Your Cool During Back-to-School Although few people welcome the end of summer, no one dreads it more than parents—especially parents who are authors. Between too many trips for new clothes, school supplies, and haircuts; signing up for extracurriculars; and attending orientation events, parents are often left physically exhausted and mentally depleted. And every summer, […]
Indie Authors Share How They Combat Loneliness with Connection
In a Sometimes Lonely Career, Indie Authors Find Creative Ways to Connect As writers, our path is primarily a solo endeavor. Some authors have an easier time combating loneliness, but others find it difficult to get past the isolation hump. When the need for companionship strikes, online writing sprints and smaller in-person writing retreats can […]
Keep The Gold
What to Consider When ‘Shiny Object Syndrome’ Threatens Your Work-in-Progress Having a surge of creativity can be a great feeling. Everywhere you look, you seem to find new ideas. But while this can be exciting, it can also make it draining to progress in your current work. Your half-written drafts will be dropped. You may […]