6 Steps To Prep As A Convention Panelist

Are you interested in becoming a panelist?
Are you an experienced panelist? Tell me about your favorite panel — and any prep steps you take that I skipped!

Here’s what I do to get ready.

A Starter’s Guide To Social Media #7: TikTok, Reels, and YT Shorts (Short Videos)

After a grand total of one week on TikTok, I think it’s time to add video shorts to my Starter’s … More

Which Writer Rules Are More Like Guidelines?

If you ask a writer which writing rules are more like guidelines, they’ll probably say “all of them”. While there … More

Giving Your Characters Room To Grow

While I was reading this week, I realized my favorite parts of the books were where I could see how … More

Magic Needs a Purpose

While I’ve written a lot of types of fantasy, my contemporary fantasy kept getting feedback and my suburban fantasy kept not working, and I think I’ve figured out the problem. My magic needs a purpose.

Encanto and Making Your Own Characters 3-Dimensional

In both stories and the real world, people often find themselves cast in roles: the hero, the good daughter, the … More

When Writing, You’ve Gotta Switch It Up

Even action sequences can get boring if they drag on too long. Here are my definitions of different sentence “components” used to build your stories — and ways to avoid info-dumping!

Positive Speculative Fiction!

Many people are craving stories right now with gentle plots and hopeful themes to contrast the recent dystopic trends in publishing, media, and real-life dramas. So, what makes for positive science fiction and fantasy and what are some favorite examples of the brighter side of speculative fiction.

The DMV In Speculative Fiction

Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia have rich histories, interesting people, and lots of weird nooks and crannies that make a great setting for a story. Panelists discuss their favorite books set in the DMV and the fun and frustrations of setting stories in and around the nation’s capital.