Just a few thoughts on the need to protect the light of creativity. The power to do so rests with us: in our hands, in our minds, in our belief that we have something worth thinking, worth saying — something worth writing. — This is an edited excerpt from my newsletter, The Writing Life for June 2022. You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast. When it comes to the creative process, fear can be the biggest roadblock to success. And it often takes the form of the…

Just a few thoughts on the surprises and joys that come from sowing seeds in a literary garden — This is an edited excerpt from my newsletter, The Writing Life for May 2022. You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast. This month marks the beginning of the third year for my Living the Writing Life podcast, and my third year as a podcast…

An edited excerpt of my post originally published on Focus on Fiction. — Now that I have finished renovating my WIP — aka REINVENTING RITA — I wanted to share what I learned through the process of reworking it, rewriting it, and redrafting it. Revising a piece of writing is like renovating a home. …

This is an edited excerpt from my newsletter, The Writing Life for April 2022. You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast. Just a few thoughts about the importance of staying focused on your goals, even if you think it’s too late for you to achieve them, because, after all, you never know.

An edited excerpt of my review originally posted on Focus on Fiction — When I received the proof copy of North by Brad Kessler, I didn’t know what impact the story would have on me. The chapters weave back and forth between the past and present of the two main characters — Father Christopher, a cloistered monk at Blue Mountain Monastery in Vermont…

This is an edited excerpt from my post on The Writer’s Place. Click the link to read the full article. It’s very exciting when a literary agent makes an offer of representation. But before you grab your pen and sign on the dotted line, play detective and ask some key…

This is an edited excerpt from my The Writing Life newsletter for March 2022. You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast. Just a few thoughts on how reaching the top (i.e., success) requires us to take one step after the other — without giving up.

This is an edited excerpt from my post on The Writer’s Place — Did your book win a literary award? Congratulations! But don’t just call your nearest and dearest with the great news. Instead, be a savvy book marketer and maximize the impact with these six strategies. 1. Add the award badge to your book images. Update your book cover image by adding…

[This is an excerpt from my post on Focus on Fiction] — If you’re worried that your story is dragging a bit or you’ve filled your chapters with so much detail or backstory that the focus is hard to figure out, author Chet Meisner has go-to strategies to get your story out of its rut and back on track! …