Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
This weekend I spoke on a panel at TAAFI (Toronto Animation Arts Festival International) about Writing for Animation, and it got me thinking about who writers write for. For example, as a screenwriter I write for the people who hire me (story editors, producers, broadcasters) and through them there’s a lot of focus on writing …
Continue reading “Who Do You Write For?”
Last week when that article from Slate came out bashing adults who read YA novels, I was as outraged as everyone else who enjoys reading and/or writing books classified as teen lit. Many people, myself included, declared Slate writer Ruth Graham to be a literary snob. The definition fits. After all, “snob” defines a person …
Continue reading “Readers & Judgment: Snobs or Guardians of Good Taste?”
Here in Arizona, spring isn’t as well-defined as it might be in your part of the world. Here, we call it spring when our temps get above the average 70 degrees of winter. For those three days, before the 100s begin, we have a version of spring. (Only kidding about the three days. Lots of …
Continue reading “Spring Cleaning the Writer’s Mind”
This week was my birthday. To me, it was a small milestone – crossing the line into the latter half of my thirties. It wasn’t met with much cheer. By this age I had expected to be a successful writer, or at least be living above the poverty line. Life as a starving artist is …
Continue reading “Writers & Ageism: Does it Exist?”
Today we welcome guest blogger Natacha Guyot! Natacha Guyot is an independent scholar. She earned her master’s degree in media studies and digital culture & technology from Sorbonne Nouvelle University and King’s College London. She works on Science Fiction, transmedia, gender studies and fandom. Her published works includes Gender Dynamics in Star Wars: The Old …
Continue reading “Guest Post: Academic Writing’s Plurality as a Driving Force by Natacha Guyot”
I haven’t seen the movie, mostly because I don’t have any little children in the house, but the media buzz is touting the amazing and empowering story of Frozen. I’m only paraphrasing what I’ve heard on TV, but it seems like this Disneyesque story doesn’t rely on the usual trope of Prince Charming swooping in …
Continue reading “On Being Brave: Or Are We Frozen in Fear?”
Yes, I admit it! I’m obsessed with education. If you follow my blog posts you already know this about me. I’m deeply alarmed by the current downward trajectory of childhood literacy in the United States. Statistics recently released from U.S. Department of Education are not encouraging. In the media rich world we live in, reading …
Continue reading “5 Tips For Keeping the Kids Reading All Summer”
Though it’s technically true that writers can write anywhere as long as they have a laptop or a pen and paper, the right location matters. Some writers have a home office, or a writing nook, or a favorite coffee shop. Others, like me, are still trying to find that mythical place where writing magic happens… …
Continue reading “Where Is The Best Place to Write?”
Introducing Callie Armstrong. She will be joining us on alternating Fridays. Please give her a big Writeonsisters welcome! When I decided to get serious about writing I began to study short stories and read them more than I read anything else, feeding my increasing desire to create whole worlds in a few thousand words. I …
Continue reading “Overcoming the Rejection Blues”
I spent most of my life as one of those people who try to finish every book they’ve ever started. Well, no more! I still feel a degree of remorse when I walk away from a well-written book, the ones I should love, but for some reason, they just didn’t spark my interest. However, there …
Continue reading “Guilt Free Book Abandonment”