What it’s Like to Write Every Single Day When You Have ADHD




With NaNo, I don’t get that luxury.







Artists Need to be Discouraged

I believe artists need to be discouraged.  As someone who is a writer and has written several books, and has a huge passion for my craft, I think that’s the only way of creating worthwhile (not dime-a-dozen) artists.

That sounds absurd and wrong and it probably doesn’t work because trust me when I say I almost stopped writing altogether. But, I was one of those artists that did something more “practical”.  I got a degree in marketing and did things like computer science and learned languages. 

And you know what?  It made me better.  Doing this made me a better person, a better writer, someone capable of understanding what’s marketable and what isn’t.  Doing something “more practical” isn’t the death of art.  Often times, going to school for art becomes the death of your creativity.  I almost didn’t recover from my short time as an English major.

Because, if you think the people who say to do something “more practical” are the cruel ones, that’s nothing compared to hardened professors and hundreds of students that would see you fail so that they can succeed.  

Now, I’m not saying telling someone they’re never going to be an artist because they’re terrible and they’ll never amount to anything is okay.  I’m saying that, telling them to consider something more practical as a career could give them a different perspective.  

So if I tell people to consider something “more practical”, I’m literally telling them that it’s okay to have a passion for art and not major in your chosen craft..  It’s okay to choose something else instead of settling on what you think would make you the best.  Be true to yourself.  Choose art, or don’t.  Just, never stop creating.

After all, art will always find a way to survive.  Even in the face of ignorance and adversity.  It’s unstoppable.   

Tagged: My Writing Journey

I was tagged by Lisa Stapleton to write these three things:

1. Where are you at in your writing journey?

I have a novella and a full-length novel published, and a published anthology piece! I have three more books I’m working on that are done and just need edits. Plus, the new Marjorie Diaz book should come out sometime earlier 2019.


2. What advice would you give to young writers?   

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t write every day or if you can only write 100 or 500 words a day at first.

Eventually, you’re going to sit down at your computer and be able to write without thinking about it. And eventually, the more you do it, you’ll be able to crank out 1,000 or 10,000 a day!

But it is not without hard work. Writing sometimes feels like a chore or like pulling teeth and you will be stressed out and upset and angry A LOT. But it is so rewarding to put your story out into the world at the end of all that anger and resentment.


3. Things you need daily in order to function as a writer: 

-a snack
-video game break
-my cats

That’s 4 things, but I think I’ve earned them.

How to Review Books







The Making of Bloom: Part 1



It all started with an idea.













The hard part is editing, and I love editing.









Stay tuned for that monstrosity.


Writing Advice: How to Write Dialogue

1. Don’t Waste Your Reader’s Time

Dialogue is one of the most important elements to writing a story. Conversation between your characters can make or break a scene. Dialogue should never be to clunky or long-winded. Every line of dialogue needs to be presented with purpose. It needs to further your story or develop your characters. 

Don’t write scenes that lead to nowhere. Dialogue that dead ends without supporting your character’s attitudes or your plot alienates your reader. It is perfectly acceptable to write stupid shit so long as it goes with the tone of your story, but make sure it has a purpose. 

2. Keep Everyone in Character

Dialogue is often where writers tend to do most of their exposition and world explaining in order to avoid pesky info dumps in the narrative. Dialogue is there to support you and push you through to the next part of the story. 

However, any world explaining and exposition you have your characters spouting needs to be relevant to their whole “deal”. 

Don’t have someone randomly start talking about a part of your story you need explained if it doesn’t have something to do with the character explaining it. Keep all of your dialogue and talking points specific to your character’s personality so the lines don’t feel forced or out of place. Everything should run smoothly from one sentence to the next and it should be concise! 

3. Writing Dialects

Generally, showin’ the way people talk is frowned upon, but I say do whateva you want, sugah. If your character has a unique voice that is easily shown by writing things like “’lo” or “’ello” or “showin” or “sugah” then go for it. Don’t let your dreams be dreams. 

However, avoid things that would confuse your reader like m’no’gonnah or other weird apostrophe laded words that could drag them out of the story. Unless your character is Scottish or Australian. Then strange slang and apostrophes abound. Do whatever you need to do to get your dialogue on paper. 

But for the love of god please don’t be racist. 

4. The “Said” Conundrum

A lot of my writing friends swear up and down that you should only use “said” or “asked” while writing dialogue. And that you should avoid using “whispered” or “exclaimed” or “ejaculated” (okay this one you shouldn’t use. I’m watching you J.K Rowling), but I disagree.

Write what feels comfortable for you, but don’t be afraid to use “said” where you can, just not TOO often. I get myself in hot water with my editor over this a lot.

Using words like “whispered” or “exclaimed” or “growled” can bring more depth to a scene. Especially if you’re trying to keep it simple and avoid unnecessary description (like trying to figure out how to explain someone was talking softly by writing “she said in a whisper” or trying to explain how someone is growling or hissing by “she said with a growl” or “she said with a hiss”). 

The point is, write it however you want and fix it later :).

5. Dialogue Should Tell a Story

Dialogue is an important part of your story. It should be able to move the scene on it’s own. If you take out all your words and descriptions, does your dialogue propel the scene forward? Does it tell people more about your characters or your world? Does it offer insight? 

If not then you need to start over. Dialogue scenes are supposed to be dynamic, insightful, funny, maybe even flirty without making people groan or roll their eyes (unless it’s a pun). 

Read your dialogue out loud, have other people read it out loud. If there are any parts you tune out or skip or think are too long, cut them shorter. It anything makes you put your head in your hands and sigh, make it better. 

And as always, keep being creative every single day

Writing Advice: How to Get Started

Not all writing advice is created equal! This is just what works for me.

So you think you want to write? Well, there are some things you should know prior to getting started. Writing isn’t easy. People who think it is, are the people who never finish anything. That or they publish horrible books with weak plots that either become popular or flop completely. 

I once spent three days researching and practicing five ballet poses to use two of them in my writing. Writing is a lot more difficult than you think it is. So if you still want to do it despite my warning, here’s how to get started. 

One Does not Simply Write a Book

Start small. I wrote short stories, flash fiction, drabbles, news stories, blogs, articles, and social media posts. Each of these things helped me understand a little bit better how to write for an audience. That and every single time you write and are peer reviewed you have the chance to get better. 

Write fanfiction if you can. Fanfiction is the easiest way to get feedback outside of college and writing news stories. In fact, I got my start in fanfiction. It’s where I got my most criticism and where I learned to grow as a writer. I’m serious. Without fanfiction I wouldn’t be the writer I am today. 

So before you jump in to writing your epic story, I’d suggest doing something smaller. Books are a lot of work. I’ve written three and trust me. There’s a lot of crying and frustration and dumb bullshit you can’t escape. To date I haven’t even published any of them because I feel like they’re not my best work.

Writing is a lot harder than people give it credit for.  

Publish Small, If You Can

I’ve written a whole slew of blogs and news stories. I’ve been published on several different websites for poetry and editorials. You don’t have to self-publish short stories to add published work to your repertoire. 

You can also send short stories into magazines or self-publish novellas. I’ve been featured in a few anthologies in the past. That’s another great way to get the word out about your work. And it’s a great way to grow as a writer. A lot of anthologies employ their own editors so you can get a taste of working with them. 

Editors are merciless. I’m lucky that by the time I started writing for anthologies I had already experienced a lot of criticism online for my work. Editors will rip you to shreds and you have to accept it. Because honestly they’re trying to make you better and help shape you as a writer.

P.S. It is okay to cry. 

Read. Read. Read. 

You don’t have to read fiction to write fiction, but you do have to read. Writing isn’t easy and when you’re developing your voice, it’s important to understand how books and stories are written. Read books about writing, read articles, read Wikipedia, read something until you understand the basics of how to write a story. 

You should also read books by other authors. Read books similar to the ones you’d want to write. It is 100% okay to base ideas on another writer’s book, but all of your stories should be your own. 

You should be reading tirelessly!

Research Everything

Everything you write needs to be well-researched. That’s the bottom line. Just like reading, you also need to research anything and everything you want to put in your book. If you have first hand experience, great, but if you don’t? Research the shit out of it.

I’m an avid reviewer of Wattpad stories and Fanfictions and I’ve had a whole slew of writers tell me “there isn’t much information on this topic!” 

Don’t play with me. I know how to use the internet and I know how this shit works. I’ve been researching stories since I was 12 and if I can find information on it, so can you. 

If you’re writing something like what it’s like to die or what a specific mental illness feels like and you don’t have first hand experience go to Ask Reddit. I’ve done this hundreds of times. All you have to do is post a topic then wait for people to respond. If no one does, try to see if someone has asked the question before and read the testimonials on that.

Most of the time people are willing to share their stories and experiences. There is no excuse for you to have poorly researched stories. Not in the age of technology. 

If you genuinely can’t find anything on your topic or it is extremely difficult to find what you’re looking for, I promise you that there is a book for that.

I also own several books on witchcraft and runes and I’ve employed the help of several different witches to offer insight. There is literally no fucking excuse for you to not research your stories.

Not All Word Processors are Created Equal

Number one thing people ask me is what I write my stories in. Honestly? I use Google Docs. It’s easier to share and get feedback. Plus you can block people from copying and pasting your work, etc. 

Some of my friends swear up and down that Microsoft Word is the only thing they’ll write in. Some people use Notepad or Wordpad or any number of things. Pick the one that feels most comfortable for you. 

Though I don’t recommend using Notepad because it doesn’t have spellcheck, but that’s probably just me. Not to mention you can’t format it. Unless you’re exporting it as an HTML file, but I don’t recommend that? Just don’t use notepad, promise?

Anyways, quick helpful formatting tips: Add page numbers to the bottom of the page. Center or right. Try to avoid left because that puts it in the crease of the page. Also change the background color of your story to something you can easily look at. White is going to hurt your eyes and burn you out. I use gray, blue, green, and pastel pink. 

Outline or Write a Vague Idea Down

You don’t have to outline every single chapter, but you do need to have a vague idea of where you’re going with the story. It can be as short as half a page or as long as 200 pages. Just get something down. I promise this will help you so much in the long run. 

I also use journals and the notes on my phone to write down any idea I have when I’m somewhere where I can’t sit down and write. I always carry a journal and a pen on me at all times. I’ve collected over a hundred of them in my lifetime. I write a whole fucking lot. 

Write Every Day*

You should be writing every single day. Whether you want this to be a hobby or if you want to make a career out of it, you need to write at least 100 words every day. This is the only way you’re going to get better. 

It doesn’t even have to be anything pertaining to any ongoing story. As long as you’re writing. Don’t ever stop. 

*I'm gonna be honest with y'all. I don't actually write every single day. However, I do do something creative every day. Like drawing or baking something cool or outlining a story or writing a blog. Do what works for you!

Angry Gay Writing Advice: How to Write Bisexual Characters


Sit down and shut up and let me tell you how to the fuck to write bisexual characters. 

Rule 1: That Means They Get To Be Bi 

Even the dudes (Thanks Thirteen for your insight on this). Men can be bi! It’s true! You wouldn’t know it from television or the current bisexual climate, but they can be. 

The only bisexual dudes I can think of literature wise are Simon Snow from Carry On (Though he never says it out LOUD when EXPRESSLY ASKEd. I’m WATCHING YOU Rainbow ROWELL) and Adam Parrish from The Raven Boys Series. And to be honest, that’s not right. 

The point being, let your men be bi. Especially when you’re writing reverse harem titles. Having everyone be rigidly straight is exhausting. And I know that threesomes might be difficult to write, but we didn’t become writers because it’s easy.

Rule 2: You Don’t Have To Be Obnoxious 

I have several bisexual characters whose sexuality never comes up in casual conversation. That’s okay. You don’t have to force it. Don’t make their sexuality the only thing about them. 

The best advice I can give you is to think about one of your friends who is gay or bi or pan or whatever and think about their traits. Is their only trait their sexuality? No? Then why the FUCK would your character’s? You’re creating a living breathing person inside of your head. Not a puppet. Act like it

Rule 3: Multiple Relationships

This is something you should be practicing in writing anyway. People don’t have one relationship throughout the course of their lives. They have several. The best and easiest way to showcase a character’s sexuality is 1) through them discussing it with other characters and 2) through them having more than one relationship throughout your book. 

This does NOT mean to make them a slut. They don’t need to be expressly humping everyone they see. Bisexual representation is important in literature. So you need to be representing bisexuals right. And while they’re also people and can be slutty, it’s important that people don’t get the idea that all bisexuals are sluts all the time. So don’t fuck it up. 

Rule 4: I Will Come To Your House And Kick Your Ass If You Make This Tragic

Number one thing I hate, and all my other LGBTQIA+ friends hate as well, are tragic gays. Bro. Not all gays are tragic bro. Leave that shit back in the early 2000s where it belongs. Tragic gays are behind us. It’s time to start having gays that are widely accepted and not ridiculed. And it is BEYOND TIME to have Bisexual representation in our society. 

It is okay to be bi. Show this through your writing. Have people ask questions and get them clarified through actual bisexual people. Show your straight characters being supportive and great about it or have them not react at all. Normalize LGBTQIA+ in your writing. 

Rule 5: Gay relationships and Straight Relationships Are Exactly The Same

With a few key differences. I’m sure you can figure out what differences on your own, but in case you can’t: It’s sex. Sex is the key difference. When you’re writing a smut thing it’s important to know that girl on girl is different than girl on guy, and you should use protection for both. 

If you aren’t clear on the specifics of a sexual act between same sex or the opposite sex. You have two options:

1) Research it until you’re familiar with it. And no I’m not talking about porn. Porn is not real life. They don’t talk about protection. They don’t show you the funny stuff or the gross stuff. They don’t have real conversations before sex. 

I’m talking testimonials. I’m talking reading other stories and reading blogs about how to write erotica. Do hardcore research like actually fucking try. OR.

2) Don’t write it.

It’s as easy as that.

Writing Advice: How Creating Sims Helps You Write Better Characters

This is something I tell a lot of people who are just starting out. The Sims helps you give characters basic traits, it helps you work out their long-term goals, and it helps give you a vague idea of what they look like. 

Creating sims and sims houses from the ground up is still something I still do when I’m writing. To date I have a sim of every character I’ve ever written. 

Even if you have a good idea of your character in your head and you have most of their personality on paper, it is a whole different thing to sit down and create them in The Sims. 

I had already written a 300+ page novel about my most recent characters before I sat down and created their sims, their house, and their love interests. This opened up a whole new world for me description-wise. When you have your character in front of you walking through this house you designed for them and picking things up, picking things to eat, etc. you learn so much more about them. 

Giving a sim the same traits and job as your character will give you better insight into how your character will react in certain situations. It could even help you pick out difficult favorites for them. Like their favorite food, favorite music, and favorite color. 

For example, after I created my sims, a fire broke out in their house. There were several small children inside. Violet, instead of helping any of the small children, ran outside and saved herself. Jasmine tried to grab as many children as she could and carry them to safety (even though she was only a visitor in the house). And Persephone and Caspian just stared at the fire and did nothing.

The fire nearly burned the entire house down because the fire department didn’t wanna put it out. And that’s how I decided a fire would be how Persephone and Violet’s parents died when they were young. 

It helped me work out generally how terrible Violet was as a person. Considering she literally left several children in a burning building.  Even though she was directly next to said children when the fire started.

You never know what The Sims will teach you about your characters. 

How to Write Convincing Romance (Semi-Straight Edition)






















Just don’t do it.