Columnists

The Key to Publishing a Book: Being a Staunch Celebrationist

Writing a book takes forever. Or, it does for me. I always think I’ll be able to crack the code for the next one, and write faster and be more efficient, but the reality is, it takes me five years to ...

Unlocking Out of Editing

In my April 2025 column for Open Book, I wrote about the difficulties of locking into editing. Coming back to a manuscript you feel you’ve completed is tricky, especially when you’re at the stage ...

How I'm Adjusting My Writing Routine For Spring and Summer

A few months ago I wrote about how I’m adjusting my writing routine for autumn & winter. Now that we’re well into spring where I live, I’ve been strategizing for the warmer months ahead. My ...

The Pros and Cons of Beta Readers

I just finished an early draft of a new middle grade novel and realized as pressed “save” that even though it was nowhere near done, I’d taken it as far as I could.It was officially time for a beta ...

Locking In, Letting Go

I’ve thought of myself as a writer who loves revision. I rewrote large chunks of my two poetry collections between the ‘final’ version submitted to my publisher, and the version that ended up being ...

The Joys of Rereading

Like any other avid reader, my TBR pile can feel out of control most of the time. For me, it’s partly because I’m a mood reader with an aversion to to-do lists of any kind, but it’s also because ...

How to Avoid Blank Page Syndrome: The Jar Method

When I’m editing, there are specific problems to tackle, and I find I have a clear to-do list. Even if there’s a lot to do, I have a road map, but at the beginning of a project, I get so easily daunted ...

10 Self-Care Tips for Writers

Self-care is more than a long candlelit bath and chocolate—it’s prioritizing your mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. As someone with anxiety and chronic depression, I’ve learned the hard ...

Finding a Press for Your Poetry Manuscript

In one of my first columns as an Open Book columnist, I shared my process of realizing I had a full-length poetry manuscript. Since then, I’ve written a number of columns about how to go about preparing ...

Grant Writing 101: Timelines

You’ve got an idea, you’ve got working title, maybe you’ve even got a beta reader, or a mentor lined up. You’ve got your budget planned out (and know how many days/weeks or hours your project ...