Cats. Each one is an individual with a distinct personality. The current one is weird even by cat standards. The last one was spirited and precious. Each teaches us something new, and then they move on. I hope I live long enough to have many more lessons.
I can write. It's what I do. Stories, poems, novel ideas and fragments pour out of me like rain through a downspout. All the other stuff? The eating, the sleeping, the being a person in the real world? That's much harder. I know I must rewrite and rewrite and edit, and rewrite again and polish…
I've actually already written 3 books, and have rough drafts for 4 more. What do you do when the ideas keep rolling in? Do you get 1 submitted before doing the next? Do you write them as fast as you can and THEN worry about editing, polishing and submitting? Do you stick to one grade…
This excellent article is my first repost. Ms de Leon makes many valid and thought-provoking points.
When I was writing my novel Uptown Thief in 2011, I got a sex worker activist to read it. I was writing about sex workers and their fight for justice. I wanted to get my portrayals right, so I had an activist from that community read the book. I got a ton of notes and had to retool my entire plot.
At the time, I wasn’t familiar with the term “sensitivity reader.” I simply had both paid and unpaid readers from groups I was writing about who gave me feedback.
Uptown Thief came out in 2016, and was followed by The Boss in 2017. When sex workers read, review, or comment on my work, most of the feedback affirms that my portrayals ring true. You know what I call that? Integrity. Respect. A job well-done. A work ethic.
And I didn’t just vet the sex worker details. I vetted the…
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A Writer's Mind 