Seek mentors who have done what you desire to do and become what you desire to be. – Randy Gage My career in finance began when I was 17 years old. I’ve held a lot of different positions over the years. In each of those positions I learned something different. I call them my WALK [...]

Life’s a marathon, not a sprint. Over the years, I have encountered many people who’ve had aspirations of becoming a published writer. They’ve all been at varying stages of accomplishing their goal. Some were in college taking classes towards a journalism degree and others were working a nine to five while trying to find time [...]

I read an article once that suggested using a questionnaire to design characters. I thought this was a fabulous idea to expand on who you’d like your character to be. Initially, when I have an idea for a character its based on someone I might have observed in my life and then I tend to [...]

One of the best books I ever read was Sistah Souljah’s Coldest Winter Ever. Honestly this book may have been what made me say, “Damn it! I can be a writer!” And then I waited. And waited for her follow up to this book and it came…but many many years later. As a fan, I [...]

Aspiring writers often wonder how they can make time to write? And rightfully so… With all of the responsibilities we have as adults it does seem impossible to fit a writing schedule into an already busy day. However, I’m of the mindset – if you really want it, you’ll make time for it! Since I’ve [...]

My mom recently asked me had I made any progress on my current manuscript. She’s a writer too, so she fully understands the creative process. But her question really got me to pondering why I haven’t been writing. Honestly, I haven’t touched my manuscript in a while. Part of the reason is that my focus [...]

Luckily I’ve never lost my manuscript, but I’ve lost enough papers and blog posts to know how it feels. First the heart sinks. Then the “No, no…” You hit random key sequences. Anything to get the document back on your screen. But its gone and now you have to accept it. How can you accept [...]

When I finished my manuscript for The Buzz, I had every intention on finding an agent and then securing a publishing deal. I did as most writers and sent out a few query letters and waited for a response. After the first few query letters were sent out, I had a change of heart. I [...]

I say/You say is a feature for writers to share their publishing and writing related questions. I’ll share my tips and advice and my audience will chime in with their advice as well. If you have a question for I say/You say please submit it here. Here’s this week’s question: I have about 15 story [...]

In the coming months, I’m going to start introducing the characters from my upcoming novel Rules of the Game. Rules of the Game is very layered but is a coming of age story about a young lady who thinks she has life all figured out. Like many teenagers, she doesn’t like the rules her family [...]

Book signings are one of those events that every writer will have to put together at some point. I was so excited for my first book signing but at the same time I was terrified that no one would show up. Now to be fair my first book signing was actually a book release party, [...]

  Learning to write well is more than just picking up a grammar book and studying. Crafting an engaging story is much more than knowing the elements of a plot and executing them. Practice, hard work, and dedication are the foundations of writing a good story or book. However, it is possible to polish your [...]