Category: Writing Wednesday

Self-editing 101

(October 2017) WRITING WEDNESDAY: Self-editing 101. I write fast; therefore, I make my share of mistakes. The more ambitious the topic, the more opportunities to go down the wrong path, make syntax errors, etc. Sometimes elements of your personality come out in writing. If you tend to be long-winded...

Literary Managers

(May 2017) WRITING WEDNESDAY: Not-yet-published writers often have online discussions about literary agents, but no one mentions the need for literary managers. What’s the difference? Agents will negotiate your book deals and make sure that you are financially compensated, but managers will look at the breadth of your writing...

Pumping Iron

(May 2018) WRITING WEDNESDAY: Another birthday came and went, and I’m obsessed with blogs and books about how to get your financial state in order for retirement. The good news about writing is that even though it’s not usually lucrative, it’s something you can do when you’re older ....

Digital Junk

(August 2017) WRITING WEDNESDAY: If you have a pencil and paper, you can write. But we’ve made it much more complicated — with laptop computers, Microsoft Word, Scrivener, etc. For the past few weeks, I was having major problems with my laptop. The start-up disc kept filling up and...

Intention

(June 2017) WRITING WEDNESDAY: I’ve been thinking lately about intention. About why we want that big book or movie deal. Do we want it to make sure that our stories receive the widest audience possible? Or do we want it out of validation, to prove to people, both known...

Waiting

(August 2018) WRITING WEDNESDAY: Much of a professional writer’s life is spent waiting. It’s from the very beginning. You send out queries and sample chapters to agents. And then you wait, sometimes for two, three months. You finally get the agent (this could take years, BTW) and then she sends...

Words in a Physical World

WRITING WEDNESDAY: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is happening this month and a group of mystery writers, some of them published, have jumped in. I’m more in the wading pool–writing, too, but not at the same volume of words that NaNoWriMo reguires. The daily goal is 1,660 words so...

The Essential Story

(August 2018) WRITING WEDNESDAY: I had one essential story that I wanted to tell before I died–how the atomic bomb touched people like my Japanese American family. Through my Mas Arai mystery series, I feel that I completed this mission. So now what? Through nonfiction and journalism pieces, I’ve...

Doable Regular Practices

On my front door with blue painter’s tape, I’ve stuck a hand-written note to myself: “Doable Regular Practices.” It’s not a long list and ranges from doing strength-training and using the Water Pik. Although I’m fairly good at meeting writing deadlines, for most of my life, I’ve neglected other...