Happy Friday, fellow humans! I’ve been pondering lately—okay, for several years as well—about how many times I’ve come across “writing rules” that on second thought, I’d realized were just author or reader preferences. If you follow me online, you’ll know exactly how I feel about phoney rules like “you must write every day.” In fact, …
Continue reading Writing preferences are not necessarily rules
Content note: I will be mentioning some ableist words, for educational purposes. Because I am a sensitivity editor for ableist terms and themes, I often get asked this question from writers who want to avoid ableism (without nuance) in their work: How can I stop using ableist phrases? Let me begin by saying that I, …
Continue reading How to Avoid Being Accidentally Ableist in Your Writing
Earlier this month, I saw this tweet from author Heather Carlson: https://twitter.com/Hezzah/status/1229071090821009411 My response was: https://twitter.com/CaitGAuthor/status/1229578290869886978 I've written before about gatekeepers who push the everyone-must rules. You know, like the infamous tripe, "You must write every day." Not only are those types of statements just plain wrong, they are also classist, ableist, and a whole …
Continue reading Writing groups should be supportive, not a bunch of soul-crunching bullies.
First, ask yourself: What the heck does enough even mean? In my opinion, a dangerous game to play is the comparison game. Before anything else, I recommend the following self-check: Am I forcing myself to fit someone else's writing routine?Am I putting unrealistic expectations on myself?Am I being influenced by "bullies" who tell me to drop …
I could kick my behind for the self-pity I wallowed in about my writing last year. “All I can manage are short stories,” I lamented repeatedly. Well, in fairness to me, 2017 was about massive health scares and so much testing. The stress of everything prevented me from finishing the sequel to my first book. …
I wrote a thing about a thing on author Louise Allan's Writers in the Attic! This is a topic that means a lot to me as a writer, and I'm so glad Louise let me share my thoughts on this forum, which also has other great authors! (Including my homie, Robin Elizabeth!) by Louise Allan |May 29, 2017 …
Continue reading When to Listen to and When to Ignore Writing Advice
Cait Gordon—author and editor 