It should be simple: I have a book about to be published and my lifelong dream is coming true. I should be grateful, ecstatic, thrilled. And I am. I definitely am. But there are things nobody tells you about.
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The thing about grief, is that it’s odd and unpredictable. It shows up at surprising times, long after you thought you had said your last goodbye. After the numbness and the denial has gone, after your eyelids are no longer heavy with the weight of tears.
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This list of resources will help you in your writing journey, including everything from finding an agent to getting published, and they’re all recommended by published authors.
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When I discovered these podcasts that were meant just for writers, I was absolutely hooked. Here are a few of my favourites that I would definitely consider among the best podcasts for writers.
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I have a full-time job, three kids, and often feel like I’m pulling myself in too many directions. But I’m also at a point in my life where I’m tired of watching other people make their dreams come true, while I have all the best intentions and plan on ‘getting to it’ eventually, but never do.
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Anna likes the feel of sand in her hair. I can tell by the way she is playing with it, weaving her fingers through the short, tangled, dirty tresses. Her summer hair, I call it. I wonder when it was last brushed.
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Writing is fantastic and fulfilling, but can you make a career out of it without being a published author? And if you can, how? I reached out to some of the awesome writers I know and found some great insight.
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Everyone faces hardship. In different degrees and at different stages in our lives—we all deal with something hard and uncomfortable. It comes into our lives and tests us. Jabbing and jabbing and jabbing at our ribs with a pointed finger until we feel overwhelmed and unsure.
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I used to think I was always really good at “self-care”. I don’t mind asking my husband to cover for me with the kids and the house when I need to decompress. But I realized that self-care, as buzzy of a word as it is, is so much more than just finding some me time every now and again.
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Reading—and reading a lot—can help every writer. You don’t have to be an aspiring novelist to get value out of reading. So, I’ve decided to revisit my all-time favourite books and explore what it was that I loved about them at different points in time in my life. Which books make your favourites list?
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When I was a kid, I used to have sleepovers with my friend so we could stay up extra late writing stories.
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After attending a conference and hearing from incredible authors first hand, here’s what I learned about the importance of finding, and really, truly using your voice as a writer.
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I have the winning ticket. I am holding it in my hands. My body is keeping me upright as I stare in shock at the small, yellow stub of paper between my fingers. I feel somewhat like Charlie, grasping hold of Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. There are numbers on the ticket; numbers that have the potential to whisk me away to Kenya for 10 days, but I can’t really see them
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Whether you love it or hate it, marketing and self-promotion is part of being a writer. Doing it right can help you look professional, can help you promote your work and may even help with you getting published online.
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Literary magazines are great for both established and newer writers. Many well-known authors began with works published in literary magazines—and they’re an excellent resource for writers looking to read examples of strong writing and work on their writing skills.
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The opening of your essay is like a first impression. It's what really grabs an editor’s attention (and the reader) and makes them want to keep reading. It has to be good. It has to be compelling. Here are a few things you can do to help you craft a really strong opening to your personal essay.
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The constant hustle is hard. When you’re a writer, pitching and pitching can sometimes get exhausting. If you're feeling a bit of burnout, here are some things that I found helped me.
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Through all of my writing and pitching, and through my experience as an editor of an online publication, I’ve learned what seems to work and what doesn’t. The way I see it, it comes down to three key components.
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One of the toughest things about writing has nothing to do with the words and ideas. It's about finding time. But I've realized that writing is never going to happen if I don’t at least try. So, I made a decision to come up with a few realistic ways to get it done.
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If you're making mistakes in your pitch email, the best writing in the world might not get your foot in the door at an online publication you'd like to add to your portfolio. I've seen many pitching errors as an editor—here are a few of them, and how to avoid them.
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