Besides this blog, I write fantasy and science fiction for teens. My debut novel, The Shifter, came out in October 2009 from Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, and the sequel, Blue Fire, came out October of 2010. Darkfall, the final book of the trilogy released October 2011.

I'm represented by the wonderful Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency, and have been since October 2008. October has been a good month for me writing-wise. Good things seem to happen then. Maybe that's because Halloween is my favorite holiday.

I taught writing at Writers Digest Online Workshops for several years, and discovered how much I love teaching. Blogging about writing allows me to indulge this.

I live in Georgia with my husband, three cats, and a freshwater eel folks seem to like hearing about. He's a pretty cool eel, so I can't blame them. Though I do think he wishes I'd get rid of the cats.

I've been writing all my life, have made plenty of mistakes and imagine I'll continue to do so as long as I keep writing. But I've learned a lot along the way, and this blog is my way of saying thanks to all those who have helped me make the difficult transition from writer to author.

When I was first developing my writing skills, I was often frustrated by books that told me what I should be doing, but didn't give me a clear picture as to how to do it. Later when I began teaching writing, I decided to offer answers to those questions and discovered I had a bit of a knack for it. I give lots of examples, because I find seeing things in action make it easier to understand them.

My goal for this blog is to offer ways to build a solid foundation for your writing. To provide tips and advice you can take right from these posts and apply directly to your work in progress. I won't just say you need to show, not tell -- I'll give you tips on how to do that.

Not everything I suggest is going to work for everyone, but that's just the way writing is. There is no wrong or right way to write. My way is certainly not the only way, and may even be the wrong way for you. That might sound strange, but I know first-hand how frustrating it is to be told "You must do this" when "doing that" is more your style. I have guest bloggers every week to talk about their process for that very reason. To see how other writers do it. Every writer has to find their own way, and we do that by trying every technique that seems interesting. Eventually, we stitch together a process that works for us and helps us tell our stories in the best way possible.

It's been a whirlwind year for the blog.  I did a big redesign back in February to make it easier to find help on common questions and it worked. The blog is growing to over 250,000 view per year (okay, 272,000 for those who like specific numbers), and enough guest authors to start our own convention. What started as a monthly feature has turned into a weekly guest spot. The wide range of advice is just wonderful. My crit column also went weekly, with readers adding their great feedback as well in the comments. I couldn't be happier for how the blog has grown this year.

You'll also find regular columns like:

How They Do It Tuesdays
Guests authors talking about their writing process and techniques.

Re-Write Wednesdays 
All about editing and revisions.

Find Your Plot Fridays
All about plotting and developing your stories.

Real Life Diagnostics (Saturdays)
A way for you to submit work and find out if you're doing something right or not. It's part crit, and part diagnostic about an issue.

To make navigating the blog easier, there's also an Index with links and descriptions about where to find what you're looking for. Making the blog more user-friendly is an ongoing process, and I welcome suggestions, comments, and questions. If you're curious about something I've haven't talked about, just ask and I will.

Welcome to the blog.

I'm happy to hear from folks, so feel free to drop me an e-mail.

E-mail: Janice Hardy