Stop trying to “solve” your writing. Go for a walk. Make dinner. Read something completely unrelated. Let your brain wander around the problem without supervision. Eventually, it’ll come back carrying something useful. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

There is a strange amount of bravery involved in devoting yourself a creative endeavour. You have to keep making things without knowing whether they will become anything. And you have to keep caring before there’s evidence you should. #writing #writingcommunity #creativity

Writing tip I learn over and over: Lower the bar. Then lower it again. Then trip over it on purpose and write anyway. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

I can usually tell whether a scene in my #WIP is working by how desperately I want to avoid writing it. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Being a writer means confidently explaining your plot to someone, hearing yourself say it out loud, and thinking, “…well that can’t be right.” #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Sometimes I revisit an old draft and think, “Why didn’t I finish this?” Then I read 2 more pages and remember exactly why. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

There are certain moments that make me so flippin’ happy these days. The first page of a brand-new book I just bought. A bookstore when it's raining. A sentence that suddenly says exactly what I meant. Small joys have incredible range. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

My manuscript and I have developed a healthy long-term relationship. We disappoint each other a little less every year. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

I keep waiting for my future wiser self to arrive and explain everything. Unfortunately, every year I discover my future wiser self is just me with new questions.

The worst (or greatest?) part about researching for a novel is that every answer opens three more browser tabs. I no longer know whether I’m writing a book or assembling the world’s least efficient (or hardest working?) web browser. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Naming characters is surprisingly high stakes. Too unusual? Distracting. Too common? Already used it. Just right? Whoops, someone I know has that name. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

I spend an unreasonable amount of time deciding whether a character would say “yeah,” “yes,” or “yeah...no.” This is apparently how I enjoy spending my day. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Every writing book promises to teach you how to write better. What I really need is a book called: "Maybe It’s Good Enough: Radical Ideas for Overwrought Writers" #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

My WIP outline had a lot of confidence for something that was completely chaotic and mostly wrong. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting

Writing is mostly discovering the real problem several hours—or days, or weeks—after you thought you fixed it. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

I love when someone gets excited about something deeply, unapologetically niche. > Species of moss. > The history of lighthouses. > How car washes work. Even if it mean absolutely nothing to me, their energy is infectious. Curiosity begets curiosity. #writing #writingcommunity #writerslife

It’s funny how often the answer isn’t “I need a new idea.” It’s “I need to leave the house, pronto!” #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Every unfinished writing project represents a version of me who was absolutely convinced this idea would change everything. I admire that person’s optimism. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

I hope I never lose the ability to become completely absorbed by something for no practical reason. That feels like one of the best parts of being alive. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

The best conversations are the ones where everyone leaves with a new question instead of a new opinion.

For (English) writers, the most dangerous phrase in the English language is: “I’ll just make one small change.” This is how 5-hour editing sessions are born. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

The biggest writing lie I tell myself is that “once I solve *this one problem*, the rest of the book will be easy.” #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Fiction writing is lighthearted and fun until you realize your protagonist is behaving irrationally because *you* are being irrational. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

The strange thing about getting better at a craft is that your standards improve faster than your skills. Which is why growth often feels suspiciously like failure. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

I wish I approached exercise with the same enthusiasm I approach researching a new writing project. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

The most unrealistic part of fiction isn’t dragons or magic. It’s characters who have one realization one time and then permanently change their behaviour forevaaa. 😂 #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Somewhere in my computer is a folder containing dozens and dozens of abandoned ideas. I like to think they’re all in there holding support group meetings. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

Sometimes the breakthrough is a brilliant new idea. Sometimes the breakthrough is realizing the old idea was fine and you were just tired. #writing #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslife

I love learning because every new skill reveals a dozen things I didn’t know I was doing wrong. Growth is basically a never-ending series of increasingly sophisticated embarrassments. #writing #writingcommunity