There’s a lot of buzz in academic circles these days about “growth mindset“–an idea based on these principles: (1) the human brain actually grows new neural connections when we learn things, and (2) when people are aware of this brain growth and believe that they can grow their brains, they actually persevere in the face…
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Today I’m in the spotlight at The Poetics Project, thanks to Amanda Riggle who did the interview and posted it. She asked some really good questions about the writing process and some of the decisions that went into The Girl at the End of the World. Head over to The Poetics Project and have a…
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The semester is coming to an end, and I’m watching my Developmental Writing students take their final exams after sixteen weeks of struggling through increasingly difficult reading and writing assignments. Some of them come up to me at the end of the exam to thank me for being an “awesome” teacher–which I have my doubts…
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Like a lot of people, when I jumped into the world of indie publishing, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I knew how to write and edit, and I’d gotten a lot of positive feedback from people who knew what they were talking about. Publishing an e-book through Amazon’s KDP program and setting…
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I’ve had books for sale on Amazon for more than a year-and-a-half now and have had the good fortune to rack up quite a few reviews, mostly 4 and 5 stars but a few stinkers. I know there are some writers who claim not to read their reviews, but I’m not one of them. I…
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Whenever it’s time to start talking about the art of revision with my college writing students, I usually begin by saying if they want to revise effectively they first need to put some distance between themselves and what they’ve drafted. Being too close to one’s material often causes a writer to see it for what…
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Every so often, I get this kind of comment from people: “I’m really enjoying your work. It’s better than I would have expected from an indie writer. Have you ever tried getting an agent?” It’s quite flattering to hear, and I’m very happy to be getting this kind of feedback from readers. But on the…
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When I started blogging last August, I did it primarily because advice column after advice column said that having a blog was essential to the success of indie authors. I hadn’t done much to promote my first two releases, and the sales numbers showed it, especially with the first Ace Stubble novella, Dead Man’s Hand.…
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