Write Now Coach! Blog by Rochelle Melander

We are responsible for the effort, not the outcome. —Unknown I once heard a doctor from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin say that they cannot guarantee outcomes, but they can guarantee that the medical staff will give 100 percent effort. When writing is not going well, rejection letters are flowing in... Read More

24 Sep 2013

Write Now! Weekly Writing Tip

Get Structure and Write Faster by Rochelle Melander

No wonder so many adults long to return to university, to all those deadlines–ahhh, that structure! Scaffolding to which we may cling! Even if it is arbitrary, without it, we’re lost, wholly incapable of separating the Romantic from the Victorian in our sad, bewildering lives… —Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in... Read More

20 Sep 2013

Writers Read

Writers Read: The Books that Influenced Me by Lisa Rowe

I’m delighted to welcome Lisa Rowe to the blog. She’s a lawyer turned playwright who began crafting her first play in high school…but I’ll let her tell you that story. Read Rowe’s story, learn about the books that inspired her and then enter to win either a signed copy of... Read More

19 Sep 2013

Writers@Work

Learn How to Structure Your Scenes—in 5 Minutes! by K.M. Weiland (@KMWeiland)

Hello writers! I’m delighted to welcome K.M. Weiland to the blog today to teach us how to structure a scene quickly. On September 25, Weiland will be talking to our Write Now! Mastermind class about Scene Sequences: Building Your Book from the Ground Up. If you’re not yet a member of... Read More

17 Sep 2013

Write Now! Weekly Writing Tip

How to Protect Your Genius Time by Rochelle Melander

Over the summer, I read a blog post on Life Hacker by James Clear: You Have 25,000 Mornings as an Adult. Here’s How Not to Waste Them. As a guilt-ridden midwestern girl, I had to read it. In the article, Clear offers much of the same advice I’ve shared here... Read More

13 Sep 2013

Writers Read

Writers Read: Raise Your Voice by Patrick S. Lafferty

Welcome, writers! In today’s edition of Writers Read, Patrick S. Lafferty writes about novels with strong voices. Speaking of strong voices—check out Lafferty’s novel Anno Domina. In the book, the newly elected governor of Arizona must decide whether or not to stay the execution of a heretical cult leader. His ultra-conservative... Read More

10 Sep 2013

Write Now! Weekly Writing Tip

Stop Whining and Write by Rochelle Melander

On Monday, as I scrambled to finish an editing project, get the kids ready for school, and put together a newsletter—I felt stressed. I wasn’t sure how I’d finish it all. And then my computer crashed. In the 48 hours between crash and rescue, I whined and worried about losing... Read More