Revising a novel can be overwhelming. It requires a different frame of mind than drafting, and it can take so many different paths. I’ve always used story-boarding for revisions, meaning I have a large white board with a chapter grid and tons of sticky notes. But I feel like I’ve gained so many different perspectives since the...

For a while now, I’ve thought that the greatest secondary benefit of being a writer was fulfilling my fan-girl fantasies of meeting the authors of books that I love. At my first writing conference, I had lunch with Charlaine Harris. (Well, we sat at the same table, and I was so tongue-tied that I barely said two words to...

2012 is almost over, and we’re all still here! I’ve been enjoying a relaxing week with my family leading up to Christmas. I’ve baked. I’ve written. I’ve read. A Lord of the Rings movie marathon followed our family reading and trip to see the Hobbit on the big screen. It’s been a good week, and it’s...

Hi everyone! I apologize for my very sporadic posts. I decided to join in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and 1700+ words per day on a shiny new manuscript doesn’t leave much time for other writing endeavors. Honestly, I never expected to come close to 50,000 words in one month. I average 1,000 words per day...

Last night I saw the fabulous Metric in a surprise, last-minute show in Jacksonville. Front row, on the barricade. Pure awesome. Emily gets most of the press for Metric, but let me just say that guitarist Jimmy Shaw is also phenomenal. To celebrate a fantastic night, I’m starting my Music Lessons blog series. A novel tells a story...

It’s time for Road Trip Wednesday! Boy, have I missed you guys! I hope now that summer is over I’ll keep a better blogging schedule. Today’s question is: What word processing program do you use to write your manuscript, and can you share one handy trick you’ve learned in that program that has helped you...

Today begins the meet-and-greet for Gearing Up to Get an Agent (GUTGAA), a blogfest hosted by Deana Barnhart. Thanks for organizing all of this, Deana!   If this is your first visit, welcome to Unavoidable Awkwardness! I fell hard for middle grades and young adult lit when my sixth-grade students started recommending books to me over ten years...

You’ve spent months writing a novel. You’ve revised it, cherished it, dreamed about it, hated it, formatted it, and fallen in love all over again. You’re ready to send it out to your first readers. And it’s like cutting out a little piece of your soul, knowing it will come back chopped to little bits. Like Andy in Pretty in...

I can’t believe I’ll be at the SCBWI conference in Los Angeles by the end of this week. This has been one of my busiest summers ever, with ups and downs more powerful than the Atlantic waves my kids love to ride. I feel excited, nervous, and under-prepared. I can’t wait to learn and grow...

Summer is breathing down my neck like a three-headed dog named Fluffy. Responsibilities keep piling up, and every time I cross one thing off the to-do list, three more items magically appear. And my kids only have 10 days of school left. Needless to say, I’ve fallen behind on my blogging. Having ALL the boys home ALL the time...