Hello friends! It’s been a while since I checked in, and things have been busy! Last year, I revised Finley’s Fabulous Fun Park, my horror novel set in a world of monsters and centered on a theme park. I’ve been querying it since the fall, which is not as exciting as it sounds. Finley’s isContinue reading “On the Query Trenches”
Author Archives: belindam307
On Good News
Hello friends! It’s been a hot second–what can I say? Life got busy. But I wanted to take a moment to announce three pieces of good news. One: As of this week, I have finished the first draft of Finley’s Fabulous Fun Park. For those of you keeping track, FFFP is a novel set inContinue reading “On Good News”
On Cats
Hello friends! A writer’s best companion is not their reader or editor. No, it is their cat. Hear me out. Many writers famously had or have feline companions. Some writers, like N.K. Jemisin, thank their cats in the acknowledgements. I thanked my lone cat (at the time) in my master’s thesis. So, why cats? PerhapsContinue reading “On Cats”
On New Beginnings
Hello friends! A couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to change career paths. For the last few years, I’ve been a bookkeeper, which is a comfy enough office job and was stable enough to get me through the pandemic without any lapse in pay. However, after finishing my MFA last year, I realizedContinue reading “On New Beginnings”
On Revision…Again
Hello friends! Vacation is over, and I’m back to writing. Way back in June, I’d resolved to take a break from working on Kita’s story, and that worked for a bit. However, I’ve taken on a new critique partner and the only thing in good enough condition to send her way is, of course, ScionContinue reading “On Revision…Again”
On Breaks
Hello friends! It’s been far too long since I’ve had a break from life in general, so for the last two weeks I traveled to see some friends and have some fun. I didn’t intend to write very much, but I actually ended up working through awesome blocks and wrote more than I intended to.Continue reading “On Breaks”
On Joy
Hello friends! I have the unfortunate tendency to read books that have a more serious (read: tragic) tone. I like to joke with my writing buddy that I don’t do “fun” books, but sometimes I need a break from that doom and gloom. Sometimes I just need to read something light and joyful. I wasContinue reading “On Joy”
On Discovery Writing
Hello friends! As I’ve mentioned, I’m a plotter, and I’m convinced this is the right way to approach novels. But short stories are an entirely different beast. When I write a short story, I typically start with an image or a line, and I write from there (or towards there). I don’t outline; I justContinue reading “On Discovery Writing”
On the Evolution of Character
Hello friends! One of my favorite things about writing is the potential every character has to become so much more. By this, I mean that I often begin with one sense of a character, and as I continue working on them, they transform into something else. As with a lot of my work, the bestContinue reading “On the Evolution of Character”
On Plotting and Outlining
Hello friends! I am, undoubtedly and unabashedly, a plotter when it comes to writing. Outlines are my friend. Names and places are the right way to go. While there’s a time and a place for discovery writing or pantsing, I don’t believe you want to be doing that when it comes to drafting. This isContinue reading “On Plotting and Outlining”
Belinda McCauley 