Don't miss a freebie, deal, or new release.Join Now!
banner with headshot and name

Author In Progress: your writing friend in a book

Author in Progress coverAuthor In Progress: A No-Holds-Barred Guide to What It Really Takes to Get Published is officially out today from Writer’s Digest books! This is the book I wish I’d had when I first started writing (and still need today). It’s like a writer friend in written form, always there with exactly the advice you need, when you need it.

More than fifty authors from the Writer Unboxed community contributed chapters to this book. Mine is called “Light It Up—Don’t Burn It Down: What to do When You Think You Can’t Write Another Word.” In it, I give you my best advice on how to keep going when you start to hate your manuscript.

Others—including James Scott Bell, Therese Walsh, Donald Maass, Heather Webb, Jane Friedman, David Corbett, and Lisa Cron—tackle topics like choosing your story, finding your process, productivity, characterization, writer’s block, critiques, conferences, revisions, envy, health, finding writer friends, perseverance, and publication.

There is so much goodness throughout Author In Progress that I hope you’ll check it out. Maybe add it to your holiday wish list, or put it in another writer friend’s stocking. 🙂

P.S. Several of the AIP authors—including me—participated in a Twitter chat earlier today. If you'd like to read back through the Q&A, just search for #WDchat.

What part of writing/writing life do you struggle with? Which writing books have become your virtual friend?

The secret is out: Author In Progress is coming soon(ish)

paper wrapped book with "coming soon" tag

I've had such a hard time keeping this a secret, but I can finally tell you I'll be adding another nonfiction book to my oeuvre (sorry, I couldn't resist using that word). I'm part of the forthcoming Writer Unboxed (WU) collaboration published by Writer's Digest Books, Author In Progress: A no-holds-barred guide to what it really takes to get published (Hint: It's less about adverbs than you think.), edited by the awesome WU co-founder, Therese Walsh.

Due out in November (I know, not exactly around the corner), Author In Progress went up for pre-sale yesterday. The collection of essays from all of Writer Unboxed‘s regular contributors guides you through the entire process of writing a manuscript, including how to deal with the frustrations of writing and pushing through when you think your work, uh, stinks (hint: that's the section my essay's in).

I've only read my own part, so I'm excited to get my hands on it! With such an all-star cast, I'm confident the book is going to be fantastic, and I'm honored to be included.

Author In Progress is something I hope every writer—at any stage of their career—will find useful. And with the November timing, I see this on many holiday wish lists. *marks calendar for holiday giveaway*

Waiting for Scrivener class news? It'll be coming much sooner than this book. I promise. 😉 Happy writing!