The blog is a little quiet this week because I’m working on a grant proposal for a special organization that I’ll be sharing with you a little later this month. It takes a lot of research and writing, but I’ll be back next week!
In the meantime, here’s a recap of the posts I shared in April. This is your chance to catch any posts you missed and leave me some comments on what it is that you’re busy with this month. Stay in touch!
April 1: Revision Cheat Sheet #2: Scenes
At the beginning of the month, I was in the middle of my Revision Cheat Sheet series. This second sheet dealt with content, descriptions, and dialogue in your novel’s scenes.
April 4: Revision Cheat Sheet #3: Sentences
I wrapped up my Cheat Sheet series with a look at sentence revision, focusing on grammar, style, and flow.
April 7: National Poetry Month: Haiku
April was National Poetry Month, so I talked about my relationship with poetry and my decision to learn haiku. Did I follow through with it? I’ll let you know next week!
April 9: 7 Poets Who Impacted My Reading, Writing, and Editing
To continue the poetry theme, I shared the seven poets who have had the biggest impact on my reading, writing, and editing. I wouldn’t be the same word lover without them.
April 14: When You Can’t Form a Writing Habit
This is my letter to the writers who struggle with writing regularly. If that’s you, this post has your name on it. I’ll tell why you shouldn’t give up–and what my secrets are to keep going.
April 16: Write a Novel in 10 Minutes a Day (Book)
I read and reviewed Katharine Grubb’s writing book, Write a Novel in 10 Minutes a Day, in April. Everyone’s situation is different, but she has great tips and exercises for anyone with a busy life.
April 22: Pitch to Publication Event
This summer, I’ll be an editor for a special pitching event that lets writers catch the attention of (and work with) an editor in preparation for the competition’s agent selections. My profile and wish list on the site went up near the end of April.
April 24: 5 Things to Remember When You’re Sick
I caught a virus a few weeks ago, and it took quite a bit of pep talk to remind myself why I wasn’t a failure. These are five reasons that you also need to give yourself permission to be sick–it’s not your fault.
April 28: Top 10 Reasons to Read Other Genres
Even if you only write in one or two genres, you can learn a lot from reading others! Don’t dismiss any of them–reading widely can help your writing, and I shared ten reasons why.
May 1: Five Lessons for Prose Writers from Poetry (at 10 Minute Novelists)
Technically, my guest post for the 10 Minute Novelists blog was in May, but it nicely wrapped up the National Poetry Month theme. Even if you don’t write poetry, you can learn a lot from writing in general from reading poems.
That just about sums up April! In May, I’m planning to tell you about the results of my April goals (Camp NaNoWriMo and haiku-writing), give editing tips for nonfiction writers, talk about the nonprofits nearest and dearest to my heart, and share some lessons for aspiring writers that are based on patterns I’ve discovered in my writing students.
What have you been up to, either in writing or in life? How have you stayed busy, and what did that mean for your writing? I’d love to hear how your month went!