By Leilani Squires Anyone Else Find It Harder to Write During Winter Months? Where I live, we get all four seasons. We’re just starting to get some colder temps and I’m pulling out my winter writing attire of favorite hoodies and fuzzy socks. Winter months can be wonderful for writing…

By Leilani Squires It’s always entertaining for me while speaking at writers conferences to notice at which points or stories the attendees most get excited, take notes, or even pull out their phones to take a photo of my PowerPoint slide. During this class, what caused the majority of attendees…

By Leilani Squires When I edit novels, the two comments I most commonly make are, “All the characters sound the same” and “The dialogue is too stiff.” To solve these issues, try using some screenwriting techniques:  Listen You experience a movie through what is seen and heard. Our ears have…

By Leilani Squires Freelance writers get asked to do a lot, from “Can you look at this short story real quick,” to “Can you edit this 25-page proposal by tomorrow?” to “Will you bring the main dish to the dinner? You’re home all day so you can cook, right?” We…

By Leilani Squires In the past seven years, I’ve conducted at least 500 interviews for articles (it’s more, but I kind of lost track and there’s a reason I chose writing over a math career). So I’ve learned a thing or two about interviewing.  Writing other people’s stories and about…

By Leilani Squires Last month, I promised to share tips on building your writing community. It has only been in the last few years I realized how important a writing community really is, especially if you’re serious about achieving your goals.  My writing community has flexed and changed due to…