#writing

Dec 12, 20162 min read

On speaking up and on resolutions for the future

I have been involved in many “diversity in literature” discussions over the couple years, and it has been an emotional roller coaster to...

Jul 21, 20162 min read

What’s Amitha up to?

Hi everyone! It’s been a long while since my last blog post. I’ve been busy this summer with my family, my writing projects, and my...

May 2, 20161 min read

Links from My Part-Time Writer, Full-Time Mom #NESCBWI16 Talk

For those of you who attended (and those of you who didn’t!), here are the links I included in the handout at my Part Time Writer, Full...

May 15, 20142 min read

My personal #weneeddiversebooks story

I attended a CBC Diversity event last night where a recurring theme seemed to be fear. People are afraid to publish books in case they...

Aug 19, 20134 min read

My O-Word Conundrum

Before you get any weird ideas, let me clarify that the word I’m talking about is the word “oriental,” and at the outset I want to admit...

Jun 8, 20124 min read

Going Beyond Fan Fic – Making Your Favorite Characters Your Own

“Where do you get your ideas?” This is one of the questions that authors dread because it comes up so frequently, pretty much every time...

Jun 1, 20111 min read

Locked In: Flash fiction at Luna Station Quarterly

My short story/flash fiction piece, “Locked In”, has been published in the latest issue of Luna Station Quarterly, an online magazine for...

Feb 15, 20112 min read

“No offense, but…”: The book review every writer is afraid they will get

All this talk on various blogs about whether or not writers should be posting negative book reviews has got me thinking about my own...

Nov 30, 20101 min read

What I learned from #NaNoWriMo

And even though I didn’t get around to the full 50k, I got a lot done. Writing a novel takes a lot more effort than just writing words on...

Nov 2, 20102 min read

My goals for NaNoWriMo

I’m participating in NaNoWriMo this year! The point of National Novel Writing Month is basically to take one month to write one new full...

Oct 4, 20103 min read

My epiphany: it’s about the writing, stupid

After almost two and a half years of writing full time, I’ve finally realized that I need to write. It’s not about being published for...

Aug 30, 20102 min read

The Great Balancing Act: Part-time Writer, Full-Time Mom

I miss the good old days before the baby (writing-wise, at least). I’d roll out of bed, eat breakfast, and then write until I was...

Aug 9, 20101 min read

How to Watch TV Like a Novelist Part Three: Details, details

Here’s a little writing exercise for you: Take a look at the picture above and try and describe it to yourself. Once you’ve described it...

Jul 19, 20102 min read

How to Watch TV Like a Novelist Part Two: Questioning the Plot

All right, so last time we talked about characters. Today, let’s discuss plot. Here are some questions to ask yourself when watching TV...

Jun 9, 20101 min read

Have Medical Questions about Your Novel? Email me!

I’ve gotten a bunch of emails about my “How to Write a Hospital Scene” guest post from writers curious about how to fix their...

Jun 1, 20101 min read

How to write a hospital scene–Guest post at GLA

Head over to the GLA blog to check out my guest post called “How to Write a Hospital Scene in Your Novel“! Let me know what you think....

Feb 25, 20102 min read

10 Rules for Writing Fiction

My twitter followers will have seen this link already to writing rules from famous authors, but I just can’t help sharing some of my...

Nov 24, 20094 min read

Writing Tips from TV: Lessons from Project Runway

I love Project Runway. Drama + high fashion + catty fighting = Awesome. But probably the most fun part about this show is watching...

Nov 23, 20093 min read

Tips for writing with a co-author #3: Avoiding Conflicts

So now you have a co-author and you’ve figured out how you’re going to write together, but chances are, you won’t get very far without...

Nov 20, 20093 min read

Tips for writing with a co-author #2: Logistics

Now that you’ve picked a co-author (see previous post), how exactly do you get the work done? Step 1) Create an outline What is your...