Bloom where you’re planted It means flourishing regardless of circumstances and growing despite your environment. Such sage advice. And yet, so many of us waste precious time thinking, “… if I had a better job/found someone who loved me/made more money/had a bigger house/ etc., I’d be happy.” Or the “I’ll wait to decorate when I get a bigger house/apartment” … Read More
Stay in your lane
I have strong opinions about what’s happening in the world—and that shouldn’t be surprising. My day job is teaching at-risk students, many of whom were born outside this country. I see their fear and am touched by their humanity. This summer, I’ve started stocking a food pantry for my classroom for the fall, because I know some of my students … Read More
The Magic of Creativity
In the enchanting realm of words, imagination dances with possibility. Creativity transforms mere sentences into magic. If there’s one truth that weaves through great storytelling, it’s the power of imagination. It transcends the ordinary, breathing life into characters and worlds that linger in the reader’s mind. Creating is the deepest form of intelligence. And I love it. I love putting … Read More
The Power of Purging
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed a post or two about my newsletter trials and tribulations. Long story short, I didn’t send newsletters during the pandemic, and because of that, most of my followers had become “inactive.” When I overrode those protocols to reach out to readers on the original list, my mail service sent … Read More
Through the Eyes of an Editor
Before manuscripts morph into books, they go through several stages of development, which involves three or four different edits, depending on the work. If you’re new to the publishing world or you’ve never understood the editing process, I highly recommend watching this introductory video by the incredible Joanna Penn. The first, and, for me, the most important, is developmental editing, which … Read More
A Writer’s Guide to Self-Care
It’s no secret that creatives are more at risk for depression, but for writers, it can be especially tough. Our craft is a solitary endeavor, spending hours in front of a keyboard. For those prone to feelings of loneliness, the isolation, the lack of sunlight and human interaction that writing often brings, can plunge them into the dark waters of … Read More
Understanding Narrative Distance
Recently, I’ve been doing a slew of content editing, which is difficult for me at best. There are two reasons for this. One, as a writer, it’s my natural tendency to interject my voice into anything. I struggle to assess a story, the characters, the pacing, the voicing, the plot and any holes there might be, without changing the style … Read More
Running a Lean Mean Marketing Machine
I did a post on Facebook’s latest changes regarding groups and pages last month, but even authors that had prepared for the switch were shell shocked at the results, both in sales and in reader interaction. Algorithms have destroyed any hope of reaching new readers without paying for an ad or running a sponsored post. My friend LK Griffie has been saying for … Read More
Defining Equality
I’m compiling answers and insights to add to the Scythian F.A.Q. page, which will be featured on the site in the coming months. But one question keeps popping up, and so I thought I’d give it a post of its very own. 🙂 Why is the Scythian Credo Strength Through Equality? In order for me to explain, we need to … Read More
IPA–It’s Not Just for Beer
This past week, I was discussing with a marketing friend about not having enough time in the day to do everything that needs to be done and still find time to write. She suggested I start thinking in terms of IPA. Now, living in a state where there are more barrels of bourbon than people, I know a thing or … Read More