A villain who is bad simply for the sake of being bad rarely leaves a mark. Cackling in the shadows, kicking puppies, and striving for vague world domination might fill plot space, but it won’t drive the protagonist wild. The most interesting antagonists don’t just oppose the world they exist in direct philosophical and personal conflict with what the protagonist wants. Think of Ariel and Ursula: Ariel deepest desire is voice, autonomy, and genuine romantic connection; Ursula

You’ve typed “The End” on a draft, or maybe you’re sitting on a manuscript that needs fresh eyes before you query or publish. Beta readers are a key part of the revision process. A good beta reader bridges the gap between your solitary writing routine and real-world audiences. But where do you find them, how do you prep your manuscript, and what are you actually supposed to do when reading someone else’s work? Here is your ultimate guide to finding, prepping, and being an inc

An open-ended ending robs the reader of the emotional reward for completing the book. As a reader, we deserve to know what happened. We want answers. We want to close the book and feel that the story has reached its destination, that the characters we have invested in are tucked up neatly. As a writer, I understand that desire, the expectation. And yet, while writing my novel Left Side, I questioned whether giving the reader an answer would actually be the wrong thing to do.

Let’s just say it: smut is fun. Personally, it was my first literary love. Danielle Steel was pivotal in my sex education. There is no shame in writing pure, adult fun with all the euphemisms. But I would argue sex scenes are one of the most rusty character-development tools in the shed. When two (or more) characters “interact”, they also shed their social armor. In a well-crafted sex scene, physical vulnerability acts as a mirror for psychological truth. It’s the moment wher

Being a dyslexic writer sounds like an oxymoron. But I say, who are you calling a moron? If you struggle to read and spell, surely writing a novel would be the last thing you’d choose to do. And yet, here I am. Being a dyslexic writer feels a bit like trying to navigate with a faulty compass. Every sentence is accompanied by doubt. Did I actually spell that word correctly? Or does it only look right because my brain has filled in the blanks? Sometimes I’ll stare at a perfectl

This weekend, I finally started doing Daily Pages. If you’ve never heard of them, they’re one of the core practices from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s designed as a 12-week program to help artists, writers, and anyone who feels creatively stuck reconnect with their creativity. The two pillars of the program are deceptively simple: write Daily Pages every morning and take yourself on a weekly Artist Date. I read the book several months ago. And if I’m being honest? I

To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Publishers Weekly asked its staff, freelance reviewers, and members of the National Book Critics Circle to vote on the 15 most essential works of American literature published since 1776. The result, raises important questions about gender, cultural identity, and the ways literary canons continue to reinforce traditional ideas about whose stories matter most. Of the fifteen books selected, ten were written by men and only five by wome

I started my writing journey when I was a SAHM. Was it crazy? Yes! Did I hate it at times? Of course! But, it did show me how motivated I really was to finish. You can do it too. Here are a few tips I would offer any SAHMs struggling to write their novel. Carve Out Time Every Single Day Waiting for a big, open afternoon of free time may happen when you have kids. Instead, look for a consistent daily window, even if it’s small. Whether it’s waking up before the rest of the hou

A completed manuscript Although it's tempting to start querying before your manuscript is 100% polished, it is a really bad idea. You want to be ready to send over that full manuscript the moment an agent shows interest. If it still leads one more pass, don't start querying. A query letter This is your foot in the door. I will go into great depth in the form of the query letter. There are tons of resources online both explaining the format and what should it should not be inc

Death Valley by Melissa Broder Death Valley explores the magical places our minds can take us in order to soothe our darkness. Wonderfully strange imagery connected to memories took me on a delicious adventure. The Push by Ashley Audrain The Push explores how generational trauma trickles down. It tells a story of how we carry the things that have happened to us, and our mothers, and our mothers’ mother. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin Elsewhere explores, circular nature of life.

1. “I just need to find the ideal writing routine first.” The Lie: If I can just copy Haruki Murakami’s exact 4:00 AM waking schedule, buy that desk setup, and find the perfect coffee shop, the words will flow effortlessly. The Reality: The “ideal” routine doesn’t exist. Waiting for optimal conditions is just procrastination. 2. “I’ll start writing as soon as I finish researching.” The Lie: I can’t possibly write this chapter until I know the exact (fill in blank) or read thr

Writing is a journey, not a destination. It has been a winding path fueled by determination. This is not just about the words on a page; it’s about portraying complex female experiences. Finding My Voice When I first sat down to write, I wasn’t sure what would happen. I doubted whether I had a novel in me, or if I was a good enough writer. Who was I to think I could do this? There were nine abandoned manuscripts before Broken Trad Wife was born. One particularly hormonal day,

This has been a question ticking at my brain for the last several months. When I started my writing journey, I expected there to be more feelings of celebration throughout the stages of writing. I expected to celebrate completing each major stage. What I didn’t realize was that writing is a seemingly never ending process. In October, I finished draft one of Broken Trad Wife, my debut manuscript. I celebrated for a total of two hours. That is how long I allowed myself to revel

Am I crazy? It’s possible. I am a serial researcher. There is something so fantastic about researching everything. It really calms my nerves. My most recent research on growing a community has suggested writing a novella and giving it away for free to people that subscribe to your newsletter. Well, I have a very limited number of people subscribed to my newsletter. So far I might as well be writing ‘Hi Mom’ as my intro. So, a Novella. Seems easy enough, it’s just a condensed

For me, writing is a hypnotic process. I put on the same song to start, ‘Aurora' by Daisy Jones and the Six. I turn on my writing sprint clock and go. At some point in the 25 minutes sprint, reality leaves my head and the book takes over. It plays out to me as if it were a movie. I become completely immersed in my story. My job becomes recording what I see in my head transpiring. But it occurred to me that this might be cheating. Is this how all authors write? Do all authors

Broken Light- Joanne Harris Bernie Ingram is forty-nine, menopausal, lonely. Married since the age of eighteen, with no close friends and few family ties, she feels as if the past thirty years of her life have been sacrificed to others: to her husband, Martin, who still carries a torch for a one-night stand at University; to her son, Dante, whose affection seems largely directed towards his maternal grandmother; to her boss, Salena, who runs a struggling bookshop in London’s

Querying a debut manuscript is overwhelming. You got one shot, one opportunity with each agent and you don’t want to waste it. With just 12 days left before I start sending out my first query, these are the steps I’m taking to give myself the best chance at success. Feel free to steal my checklist. 1. Listen to Your Manuscript Using Text-to-Voice Hearing your manuscript read aloud to you by text-to-voice prtogram reveals awkward phrasing, pacing issues, and repeated words yo

Being based on a large island, everything is a bit more limited. The West Coast of British Columbia, is peppered with smaller islands. They refer to my island as the mainland. I guess it is a perspective thing. Since beginning my journey to become an author with a paycheck, I have been hungry to find a community. I subscribe to two online communities, belong to multiple associations, yet I’ve never met another aspiring author in person. A writer’s festival could be the key to

If having detailed yearly and quarterly goals makes me type A, guilty. Some may call it rigid, I call it grounding. They are not set in stone, they change as circumstances do. They do make me quite delighted to check off. Quarter one, I did quite well with my goals. Two missed by only a few days. Goal 1: Finish draft 2 of Broken Trad Wife. I also finished draft 3-5, so triple check. Goal 2: Submit to 2 Beta Readers Check. Two writers from Jericho Writers as well as a few fami