Distracted and Confused: How Writing Can Help by Tracey Kathryn

Distracted and Confused: How Writing Can Help by Tracey Kathryn

2020 in the Rearview Mirror: What's Up for 2021?

2020 in the Rearview Mirror: What's Up for 2021?

This is my first blog post of 2021 . . . a year that we are ushering in with much hope, albeit guarded hope, as we are in the early days of the vaccination process that should begin to return our lives to some semblance of normalcy.

In this space, I typically review the previous year’s achievements, milestones, and funny moments. What can I say about 2020?

I don’t know if I’m really ready to write about it—but here goes. It was a bad year, full of anxiety, fear, depression, and loss.

National Novel Writing Month Follow Up: Lessons Learned

National Novel Writing Month Follow Up: Lessons Learned

National Novel Writing Month: The Midpoint with Tracey Kathryn

National Novel Writing Month: The Midpoint with Tracey Kathryn

Ideas About Writing to Plot Point and Time Management

National Novel Writing Month: Ideas About Time Management and Composing Scenes from Tracey Kathryn

National Novel Writing Month: Ideas About Time Management and Composing Scenes from Tracey Kathryn

Mystical, Magical, & a Wee Bit Witchy: My Novel Research Library

Mystical, Magical, & a Wee Bit Witchy: My Novel Research Library

You know how I promised you all more stories in my Circle of Nine series? I’m finally constructing the outlines! I’ve been pulling research books off my shelf and realized I’d compiled a wonderful library of Celtic mythology and witchy guides to help me craft the perfect details to make my stories come alive. And, what better time to do this than in the witchiest month of the year?

So welcome to Part One of Books that Help Me Write My Books.

National Novel Writing Month Prep with Tracey Kathryn

National Novel Writing Month Prep with Tracey Kathryn

November is a special month for writers. It’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and its goal is to get as many words written for a new novel as possible. It’s a fantastic thirty-day challenge that is exhilarating and draining at the same time. In honor of the event, I’m offering tips about tackling the “messy middle” for both the September and October blog posts.

The Writers' Institute Bids Farewell

The Writers' Institute Bids Farewell

I was extremely saddened to get the email this week announcing that not only will my favorite writing conference (The University of Wisconsin Writers’ Institute) be discontinued—the entire University of Wisconsin Continuing Studies writing program is also suffering the same fate.

Numbing the Pandemic Pain One Series After Another - My TV Recommendations

Numbing the Pandemic Pain One Series After Another - My TV Recommendations

I like a good story and I’m not picky if I read it, listen to it, or watch it on the big or small screen. While the big screen is a little difficult during a pandemic, the small screen certainly hasn’t been. I’ve admitted my TV addiction in a previous post, and if it’s even possible, I’ve been watching even more television since the pandemic hit in mid-March. 

10 Steps to Query Letter Writing Success

10 Steps to Query Letter Writing Success

Good query letter writing seems like a mysterious process, but its necessity to landing an agent or editor makes for a pressure-filled, intimidating task.

But it needn't be! 

In truth, writing a query letter is rather formulaic. I’ve split the process into ten manageable steps, so you can create a letter that will stand out from all the others flooding agents' and editors' email inboxes on a daily basis. 

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