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The missing stairs in the writing community
One of those things that you somehow never expect about the writing community is the number of super creepy men who use it to prey on...
allieyohn
Jan 26, 20243 min read
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Unmasking a Pen Name (with link to said pen name at the bottom)
That I am not the most prolific writer in any of my writing groups is not in dispute. I have, by far, the least amount of publishing...
allieyohn
Jan 5, 202410 min read
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The Temptation of a New Writing Project
There comes a moment when I'm working on a piece/story/novel for a while where I start to hate what I'm writing. And that's where the...
allieyohn
Dec 8, 20235 min read
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Giving and Receiving Feedback
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a writer is to decide you don't need feedback. No matter how long you've been writing or how...
allieyohn
Nov 28, 20234 min read
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Doing NaNoWriMo When You Know You Won't Win
This is my eighth year of doing NaNoWriMo. And this will be the first one at which I will fail. For anyone who hasn't heard me, or...
allieyohn
Nov 5, 20234 min read
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No gatekeeping
A phrase I find myself using more and more in the writing community is "no gatekeeping." I'll admit, the first time I heard someone use...
allieyohn
Oct 6, 20232 min read
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The Little Short Story that could(n't quite fit in anywhere)
Another day, another personal rejection on my favorite short story (that I've ever written, anyway. All Summer in a Day and The Lottery...
allieyohn
Sep 1, 202315 min read
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Authorial Image
Facebook reminded me yesterday that it's been twelve years since I quit smoking. I posted about it with a note that if my quitting...
allieyohn
Jun 11, 20233 min read
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Reviews aren't for you
Another week, another author behaving badly toward a reviewer. You'd think, as a whole, prior incidents would act as a cautionary tale....
allieyohn
Jun 2, 20234 min read
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On increasing vocabulary (aka how Reader's Digest helped me get into college)
While I've aspired to be a writer for most of my life, I was not always a great reader. Shocking, I know, but absolutely true. I had a...
allieyohn
May 24, 20236 min read
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On Writing Goals
When I turned 30, I made a bunch of goals to meet before I turned 40. I wanted to, in no particular order: run a marathon learn a second...
allieyohn
May 16, 20233 min read
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On starting (my novel) all over
I finished my NaNoWriMo novel 5 months ago, almost to the day. In the following weeks I was MOTIVATED. I was going to EDIT THE HELL out...
allieyohn
May 5, 20233 min read
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Writing about memory
I write a lot about memories. As a subject they are intensely fascinating. For example- what is your earliest memory? Not little wisps of...
allieyohn
Apr 28, 20238 min read
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Writing while dealing with illness(es)
My blog has been pretty quiet this year. To be honest, I haven't had much to say about writing as I've barely done any. Most of my time...
allieyohn
Mar 5, 20235 min read
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Sometimes life finds a way (to derail your progress)
Toward the end of last year, I felt a little (a lot) pleased with myself for all I accomplished with my writing. Last year I: created...
allieyohn
Jan 23, 20234 min read
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I finished my novel... now what? Bipolar and editing garbage drafts
The first time I finished writing a novel was in 2013. I was severely manic and had been manic for months with no end in sight. Think:...
allieyohn
Dec 10, 20225 min read
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Crutch words and writing styles
I recently did a podcast interview and told basically everyone I've ever met about said interview. The day it aired, I was afraid to...
allieyohn
Nov 12, 20223 min read
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Fun with NaNoWriMo
The first time I attempted to write a novel during the month of November, I'd heard the term National Novel Writing Month in passing at...
allieyohn
Oct 27, 20227 min read
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Don't be a jerk (writer)
Decades ago I was in a collegiate journalism program with a woman we'll call *Celia. She was a truly gifted writer. She was also one of...
allieyohn
Oct 18, 20223 min read
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The hardest part of writing isn't what you think
When I began this (some might say) crazy journey into writing, I assumed that the hardest part of writing would be the, ya know, actual...
allieyohn
Sep 15, 20226 min read
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