A Seasoned Author’s Tips On Handling Criticism!

Oh my gosh – this may be the best advice I’ve read concerning parsing & accepting criticism on your writing!

Didi Oviatt

Sometimes I think of reviews and critique, be it negative or positive, as being suggestive ingredients of sorts for my next creation. Like my writing/books is actually a four course meal. I’ve shopped, prepped, marinated, mixed, chopped, fried, blended, and baked until I’m utterly exhausted. I feel like the food is as perfect as I can possibly get it and it’s time to be served.

The guests show up, ready to devour my masterpiece (or read the book per say), and here I am pacing the floors from the sidelines. I watch as some people slowly pick at it before actually giving it a taste. Some people dive right in without second thought. They’ll eat as much food as possible, as quickly as they can, until they’re ready to pop. Some let each bite swirl around in their mouths slavering the flavor.

And in the end, EVERYONE has something to…

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How to Write Freely and Without Fear

Writing With Rasmus

Milly Schmidt is a writer, blogger, and crazy cat lady living in the New England, Australia. She is one of my dearest #writing Tweeps and you can find her friendly and honest advice on navigating the deep waters of the Writer’s Life (with the occasional cat dashed in for good measure!) at her blog, The Cat’s Write.

You can follow her on Twitter (@millschmidt) and take a look at her lovely Instagram (@millyschmidt). Follow her! You won’t regret it.

by Milly Schmidt

Have you ever sat down to work on your novel, only to have your fingers seize up and your imagination wither into a million atomic-seized particles? And was it because an adverb accidentally slipped out and you have no clue how to describe Becky’s great hair without saying it looked like a “tightly coiled halo of ringlets”?

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If you do or watch anything this week, make sure it’s this

Wow. My hard-a** reputation took a hit watching this, simultaneously sniffling & feeling such a warmth for humanity.

We need more of that feeling.

Lolsys Library

I will always remember this powerful #VMA performance by @Logic301@thegreatkhalid and @alessiacara. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RB2RnT97Dk

— MTV (@MTV) August 28, 2017

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Know When to Keep Quiet

For the past few months (on & off; mostly off, considering all the drama in my life this year), I've been working on a series of posts based on a book I read - Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham.  They were to be quotations from - & about - Thomas Jefferson, on…

R.I.P. Heather Heyer

By Hook Or By Book made a really good point in BookmarkChronicles reblog – Heather’s words cannot be shared enough.

RIP. 😥

By Hook Or By Book

Heather Heyer was the 32 year-old paralegal who died yesterday when a man (I’m not going to name him) drove his car into protesters in Charlottesville. Her mother, Susan Bro, shared this about the daughter she is so proud of:

She always had a very strong sense of right and wrong, she always, even as a child, was very caught up in what she believed to be fair. Somehow I almost feel that this is what she was born to be, is a focal point for change. I’m proud that what she was doing was peaceful, she wasn’t there fighting with people.

Please let’s not have the death of this courageous young woman be in vain. Her last words on her Facebook page are:

If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.

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“We’re all just different!” How Intersectionality is Being Colonized by White People

Thinking Race...

Working in student affairs on a university campus, I feel like I hear the words “intersectionality” or “intersectional” said out loud at least 20 times a day (no exaggeration). The word is regularly used as a powerful critique from young women of Color about how White feminist staff members don’t seem to understand the violence we enact. Often, though, I hear the term used by White feminist or “social justice focused” staff such as myself.

We use the term in many vague ways. “We really need to be sure our work is intersectional…We need to be more intersectional in how we talk about student identities…Our teaching strategies must be intersectional and culturally responsive.” I don’t use “we” in the royal sense. This is something I do all the time without thinking critically about my meaning.

But what the hell are we even saying when we use the term?

We have…

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The Delicate Etiquette of Book Reviewing

I’ve been laying low for the past month or so, taking care of my Dad. However, I’m hoping I’ll be back to re-blogging & writing soon enough (when he gets his driving privileges back)!

Not to mention, the political climate has me a bit down. 😥

Still – these are great tips for all my reading fanatic friends out there.

Books Rock My World

Reading used to be a lonely activity. Once upon a time, when you finished a good book and were itching to talk about it, you’d have to seek out a real life person who happened to have read it too and knew what you were talking about.

And if you wanted a book recommendation, you’d have to rely on your mom’s questionable reading tastes or pick the book that looked the most well-read at the library (mystery book germs – eew).

Not so in the age of the Internet. Today, huge online communities of readers (like the one at Books Rock My World!) are just a mouse-click away. As for recommendations, with rating systems like those on Amazon and Goodreads, your next great read is never hard to find.

It’s never been easier to connect with other readers… or more complicated. Because just like real life, reading communities…

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Rest in Piece: Description From A Reader

I wrote up a description for B’s book, Rest In Piece & she was nice enough to share it! Please take a moment & check it out. 🙂

B.W. Ginsburg

After checking out the results from the poll that I posted a few days ago, I’ve decided to give a better and longer description of what my book, Rest in Piece, is all about! For those of you who said a lower price would increase book sales, I’m taking your thoughts into consideration. However, with how the pricing works, I can’t promise a lower price. After all, I do want to make a profit from the sales. I don’t want you to think though that your opinion has gone unnoticed. So without further ado, here’s a more detailed description of Rest in Piece from one of the book’s readers, Ariel from Writing Radiation! Special thanks goes to Ariel for writing this description!

“The Erikson family love their new house.  Louise especially loves her new room.  She has privacy, space to call her own, & the hauntingly beautiful puzzle…

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A Lonely Jew On Christmas

This is usually the point where I would swear I have nothing against Christians, that I love & cherish people regardless of their religion, & that I welcome them to celebrate their holidays with all the love, gift-giving, decorating, treats, & other trappings they wish. Instead, I think I’ll just imply the heck out of…