Kelterss

My favourite holiday writing topics

Over the years, I often find myself working happily away on some fun and interesting holiday-themed writing topics that make it an enjoyable time of year even if I do find myself working through it.

Girl in a Christmas sweater with a holiday-themed mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

How to get the most out of your critiquing group

In my last two posts, I talked quite a bit about the pros and cons of critique groups, and also about their limitations. I’ve had bad experiences in the past that make me pretty apprehensive and bitter about them. However, they also have a unique kind of power that can really help you get ahead in professional writing. It’s all about pairing up with the right people for the right project. Here are some tips to help you do just that!

An open book with its centre pages curled together to form a heart. The book sits in a pile of pebbles and sand, and there is sand on one of the pages too.

Critiquing groups: their jobs and limitations

A critiquing group has the kind of power that can either buoy up or weigh down a budding writer just trying to learn and improve. If there s one thing you can take from my words, it would be this: use that power wisely!

A tumbler post by lark kitacity that says "my writing prof said something about critique today that stuck with me: if you give a critique that results in the writer feeling like they never wanna writer again, it is you who have failed as a critique, bc you've extinguished someone's desire to create". There are two replies also by lark kitacity. The first one says "as a critique, your job is not to "make this piece of writing better" but to understand what the writer wants to achieve and help them to achieve it". The second ones says "...just wanted to add in case anyone ins reading the thread that I have had to mute this convo for my sanity so I'm not seeing any notifs, but I appreciate all the perspectives that have been shared and I'm glad this has resonated with many people".

Pros and cons of a critiquing group

As you can probably tell, I’m not a huge fan of critiquing groups. This is only my own personal experience with them, though. When used properly, they’re an irreplaceable part of a writer’s journey to better writing. But when they’re used incorrectly, they can destroy writers from the inside, out.

Two young women sitting at a table and talking about a stack of papers between them.

True or False assumptions for business writers

There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there about when and how business content writers work. While I’ve seen some of the easier questions answered, I decided that I wanted to join the conversation about some of the tougher questions.

Yellow road sigh reading Questions with Answers below it in larger print in black text

How to deal with negative reviews

So, the time has come. You get a notification for your posted fanfic/short story/novel and you go to check out the review only to find out that it’s — gasp —negative?! That weird whirlwind of anger, shame, and indignation you’re feeling right now is one that we’ve all felt at one point or another. Whether it was from a particularly harsh critiquing group or an online anonymous 123username reader, it cuts deep. So, what do you do?

A stressed woman in front of her computer with her hands over her face

Platform versus private freelancing

Lets take a look at whether you should look at platform freelancing at all, or go with private freelancing from the get-go. Spoiler alert: both have an important role to play in your freelancing career!

Wooded park with one walking path that splits into two

The best freelancing platforms

When I started out, there wasn’t much out there for trustworthy online platforms to advertise my services, but now there seems to be one on every virtual corner! If you’re looking at getting involved with freelancing platforms, you’ll want to take the time to figure out what the best one is.

Person searching with binoculars in between two stacks of books

5 things not to say to a writer

As any professional writer will tell you, you’ll hear a lot more negativity than positivity out there. The goal is to focus on the positivity, of course, but there are those lines that just somehow always manage to sneak through your thick skin and bug the heck out of you. Here are my own “most likely to punch you in the face” lines.

3 things to say to a writer

Out of nothing more than 26 letters, writers can create entire universes with characters and stories that will bring readers to tears. Yet despite this truly awe-inspiring talent, there are many well-intentioned people out there (many of whom may be readers themselves) who don’t appreciate this effort. Here are 3 things to say to a writer you believe in.