The South Dakota Festival of Books: From the Front Lines
Last weekend, I attended the South Dakota Festival of Books in Brookings, SD. For two days, I talked about writing and books with dozens of writers and book lovers from South Dakota and surrounding states. I sold a few books. I sold some t-shirts and stickers (you know you’re a writer if you “get” the […]
4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t be Your Own Editor
Recently I came across a post on social media. To paraphrase, the writer said she was soon to finish a work-in-progress for publication, but she was struggling with editing. “It’s so funny!” she wrote. “I can edit someone else’s work and catch every mistake, but when it comes to my own writing I end up […]
Music: A Gateway to Writing
NOTE: I met Annia Napier, a young writer in Rapid City, around Christmas of 2020 after her aunt reached out to me, asking if she could pay for her niece to receive a writing coach session from me. Annia, then 15, had completed the draft of one novel and was cranking away on the second. […]
Find Your Writing Tribe
This weekend, I led a free mini-course on the value of a writing group. “How to Find Your Tribe” explores 5 key values of a writing tribe and how to find a group that fits your goals, personality and lifestyle. In a time where loneliness and isolation seem to be at an all-time high, the […]
9 Fun Facts about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Somerset Maugham supposedly gave this answer to the question of whether he writes on a schedule or only when he is struck by inspiration: “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.” November is here, and for many writers, that means the enticing challenge of National Novel Writing […]
The Case for Community Newspapers
What is the value of local news to you? How do you stay informed about what’s happening in the world? How do you stay informed about what’s going on in your community? Where do you get your news these days? These are critical questions I’m passionate about pursuing, because, as we all know, the state […]
Copyediting. Line editing. Developmental editing. What’s the difference?!
Copyediting. Line editing. Developmental editing. What’s the difference?! “Editing” is a pretty all-inclusive term. Many people use it interchangeably with “proofreading,” thinking the goal is the same. You want clean written content, right? Isn’t that what matters? Well, yes. But clean content is not always the only thing that matters. Editing can be an all-encompassing […]