by Rochelle Melander I hope you realize that every day is a fresh start for you. That every sunrise is a new chapter in your life waiting to be written.”— Juansen Dizon Although officially we have a few more weeks of summer, Labor Day tends to mark the unofficial end of the season. In my...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Where and when do you write? Octavia Butler write early in the morning, long before the birds began chirping, so she could fit in a full day of writing before her day job. Roald Dahl wrote in a hut in his back yard. L. Frank Baum wrote many of the Oz books...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Have you been to a big box store lately? All the school supplies have been set out like a big, beautiful writer’s smorgasbord. Who can resist the thick, colorful notebooks and the shiny new pens? Not me. Despite my stacks of unused journals and buckets of pens, I want new supplies. Why?...Read More

June 11, 2024 Note From Rochelle Dear writers, Today’s tip will help you when you’re struggling with your writing. For the next few days, MockupShots is lowering lifetime access to their all-in-one author promotion platform. By taking advantage of MockupShots for just $67, you’ll gain lifetime access to our entire library of thousands of images...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Do you ever get STUCK? You’ve got an idea for a good project. You’ve maybe written a good chunk of it. But it feels flat. Something isn’t working—but you don’t know what it is. Or, if you do know the problem, you haven’t figured out the solution. You’re not sure where to...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. -Rumi When I wrote Level Up, I hoped that writers would use the book to create their own playbook, a unique how-to guide for writing and life. So often, we want to copy the habits of our...Read More

by Rochelle Melander When I meet a new client, I ask them to tell me about their project and why it matters to them. When I know why they want to write a book or workshop, I know what motivates them to move forward. This helps us work together to figure out how they can...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Last week, we went to see Piano Men 2 at the Milwaukee Rep. Two men play and sing songs on pianos, based on audience requests. The performers played songs as diverse as “Ring of Fire,” “Green Acres,” and “Hey Jude.” They encouraged the audience to sing along—loud and proud—whether we were good...Read More

By Elizabeth Cole A couple of months ago, I tried out the dictation feature on my phone’s Notes app, mostly because I was sick of using the keyboard and having my fingers get cold after hours of typing. I had tried dictation years before, and got totally frustrated by how slow and clunky it was....Read More

by Rochelle Melander I’m teaching art and writing at a local school. When I present an assignment, one of my second-grade students always says, “I can’t.” It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. Draw a circle. “I can’t.” Give that circle a face. “I can’t.” How about drawing hair on that head? “I can’t.” To encourage...Read More