I love National Novel Writing Month. I believe it teaches important lessons for beginning writers—and provides a reminder for more experienced writers. Putting pen to paper (literally or figuratively) is the most important things. Tough days come and go, but keeping up your writing momentum is crucial.
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—Madeleine L'Engle

He or she. He/she. S/he. There have been many attempts at gender-neutral pronouns, but as it so often does, language evolved naturally. And dictionaries and style guides have recently accepted that evolution.

Most of us use singular "they" frequently in informal conversation to refer to an individual whose gender we don't know. But is it okay to use singular "they" in fiction?

I love editing professionally because I get to help stories reach their full potential. But I also love it because I get to help writers learn and grow in their craft. Receiving a new manuscript from a previous client is an amazing feeling because that manuscript is nearly always stronger than the last.

But in-depth professional editing is not a financially viable option for everyone, and it doesn't always give me the opportunity to interact one-on-one as much as I'd like.

​So I'm introducing editing webinars.

These live online sessions will provide a platform for me to teach and engage with writers, and I could not be more excited. The first scheduled webinar is a three-part course that will cover fundamental editing concepts. The second is a two-hour line editing workshop.

​If you've been hanging around here for a while, you may have heard of (or joined) The Community of Readers & Writers. I created the Community sort of on a whim, without any real plan of what I wanted it to be. I just knew that I wanted to create some sort of place for writers to connect.

Well, I've been thinking a lot lately about what the Community really means to me, and I have some ideas. The first step is a new name.
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​This is that post. The how I got my agent post.

This is exciting to write, but also a little daunting—which I suppose is why I'm writing it about a year after I signed with my agent.

During the years I spent querying, these types of posts were so helpful and encouraging. She got an agent! I will too.

So here we go. I'm going to lay out the whole sordid tale, from start to finish. And it starts in a very scary place, my friends . . . high school.​
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It's giveaway time!
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We've got all kinds of goodies up for grabs, including free editing services, craft books, and online editing courses. We'll be giving away all the cool stuff below, one winner per prize.

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. The Rafflecopter will be open to entries Monday September 2, and I'll announce the winners Monday September 9.

Be sure to check back each day the contest is open. You can earn two additional entries each day by tweeting a message through the Rafflecopter!

The winners will be announced on Twitter September 9 at 7pm Eastern. The winners will also be contacted by email.

Whether you're a new writer just learning the basics or an advanced writer exploring different methods of storytelling, it's worth taking some time to examine your choice of point of view (POV). Most writers have one POV they feel the most comfortable with, but that doesn't mean it's the best choice for every story.

Let's go over the different POVs and the pros and cons of each.

​Choosing an editor is a big deal. Whether you're hiring an editor for a developmental pass or simple proofreading, you need someone who is professional, qualified, and a good fit for you and your manuscript.

Finding the perfect editor can be a daunting task. With the technology available today, distance is not a concern, so the pool of prospective editors is massive. You can hire any editor in the world, and a quick search will bring up an insane number of professionals. How do you choose?

Here are a few methods you can use to narrow down your options and make sure that each editor you consider is qualified and is a good fit for your work.
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For all the hammock campers in search of the perfect hang, finding the ideal hammock is the first step. It's the foundation that our sleep is built on, and in the backcountry, a good night's sleep is the difference between a beautiful day of happy hiking and long hours of slogging down the trails.

The Warbonnet Blackbird is my perfect hammock. I've been using the Blackbird for about one year, and it's the piece of gear I've built my entire system around. So I'm here to share my experience with the hammock—along with some tips and tricks I've picked up along the way—to help you decide whether the Blackbird is right for you and to help you learn how to make the most of your new hammock.
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Time management is crucial to productivity. After all, we reveal our priorities by how we spend our time. But sometimes it feels like there's just not enough time to go around. How often have you heard or said, "I wish there were more hours in the day"?

The traditional way to view time management is to start with the allotted 24 hours and break it into sections. Let's say we devote 8 hours to sleeping. That means we have 16 left. How much do you devote to work or to spending time with loved ones? Do you "waste" any on trivial, nonproductive things, like watching television? With this model, we treat time almost like currency, and we devalue any time not spent "productively."

But is that the best way to approach time management? Or life management? I don't think so.