*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may get a small compensation. The opinions expressed are mine alone* Hello Writing Friends, It’s been a while since I have last written a tip for you guys, and for that, I am sorry. The truth is last quarter was a doozy. I took two simultaneous classes and had trouble keeping up with my classwork, homework, and this blog. I decided it would be best if I paused Writing Tips and Sips to better focus on what I was learning. The [...]

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may get a small compensation. The opinions expressed are mine alone* Christmas time is the happiest time of the year. Stores are decked out with pretty reds, blues, greens, fancy lights, and Christmas trees. The smell of pine fills the air—depending on where you live—snow adds an extra festive element, creating the perfect excuse to cuddle under a blanket and write with a warm glass of peppermint hot chocolate. The holidays are the perfect time to spend with your families and [...]

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a link and make a purchase I may get a small compensation. The opinions expressed are mine alone* National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) taught me a lot about myself and writing. It forced me to form a writing routine, and I made sure I wrote every day. I managed my goals, reached my word counts, and it opened my eyes to what it means to be a full-time writer. When I started Writing Tips and Sips, I wrote an article about the five secrets to building a writing [...]

I lost national novel writing month. It is sad to say, and let me paint the picture for you. Week one begins, and I'm excited to write and finish the first draft of my novel. I hit my daily word count every day, and it wasn't a problem. You can read in detail how it went here. I had a fantastic start and was confident I would win my first NaNoWriMo. Though, like starting too fast in a distance race when running track, I quickly felt burnout the second week.  I was still hitting my daily word goals; however, [...]

I finished my first draft of my young adult epic fantasy debut, and it feels incredible. It has been in progress for 5+ years between world-building, character development, plotting, and actually writing the thing. NaNoWriMo made it possible for me to finally finish the draft, and I'm left thinking: What now? It's the third week of National Novel Writing Month, and I'm 32000 words in with a finished draft. I still need another 18000 words. Editing is not very conducive to reaching high word counts in a single session. I could consider finishing the novel an accomplishment and plan on [...]

NaNoWriMo week 2 is done, and I'm halfway to the finish, though that is not to say it has been an easy road. I'm right around 25k of the words done with the 50k goal and still have two more weeks to go. I was highly motivated over the first week—reaching my word goals and exceeding them day after day (minus the first). You can read all about my progress in week one here. I am getting worn out during NaNoWriMo week 2. I'm not used to writing 1800 words a day, and there are times I struggle to [...]

Hello happy writers! National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is well on its way. I am here to provide you with an update on how my NaNo is going and provides some lessons I’ve learned throughout the first week. First, for those unaware of NaNoWriMo, it is an event that happens every November with a singular goal; write 50,000 words in a single month. NaNoWriMo has also become a non-profit organization to help motivate writers to finish their novels while bringing awareness to the importance of artistic expression. On their website, they have tons of resources for writers to help [...]