writer – @thatcolette
Since 2015, in lieu of the standard “goals and resolutions,” I have picked a word for my year. It serves as a touchpoint or a north star — a simple, comprehensive reminder of where I’m trying to go and what I’m trying to do in that year (and ideally beyond). My past Words of the […]
Read MoreThis is the tenth year in a row I’ve tried and failed. When I try to force myself to write under fictitious pressure, it’s bad. It’s not fun. Writing should be hard work, but it should still be joyful.
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OH HEY, I HAVE A NEW ESSAY PUBLISHED. Let’s just get that very, very important bit o’ news out of the way. That’s right, my creative non-fiction/memoir essay titled “The Bell Rings, or Four Key Life Moments in a Taco Bell” has been included in Volume 2 of Taco Bell Quarterly. What is TBQ? How […]
Read MoreI honestly can’t remember the first time I tried NaNoWriMo. I think it was in 2004, which would make this the 15th year I make an attempt. Now, I’ll be honest – most of those attempts have gone exactly nowhere. Some I’m pretty sure I quit on day one with less than 1,000 words. Others […]
Read MoreI say “for now” because while I don’t intend to go back to Patreon again, I have been known to change my mind once or twice (or thrice…). But yes, it’s true. I’m closing my Patreon page. I wrote a much longer note to my subscribers about it, but I know some folks here have […]
Read MoreThis is a large, looming question in my life. I find myself staring it down constantly, not just when working on pieces for my Patreon (now closed) or chipping away at my two in-process novels, but especially when I stare at this blog and website. Ever since I began blogging, I’ve tried to create some […]
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“You can’t go back to the beginning. But you can start anew from where you are and write a new ending.” I don’t know if that’s the exact quote, but it’s close, and it’s the sentiment I want to convey today as I do a quick little refresh on some segments of my websites and […]
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I know what you’re thinking. “Colette! It’s November 30! You could still finish!“ Y’all, I am not writing 34,285 words today. Because, yes, that’s what it would take for me to get to the minimum 50,000 words to declare myself a “winner.” Which means that even in a year when I felt more prepared, more […]
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again, when you’re forcing your family into matching maroon plaid shirts and jeans and trying to figure out where in your town there’s a decent enough backdrop for a picture where everyone is hopefully maybe looking normal-ish so you can send it to all your loved ones… IT’S HOLIDAY CARD […]
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Last weekend, I spent three days at the Westin in Pasadena, California attending a Novel Writing Conference hosted by Writer’s Digest Magazine. I’ve never actually been to a writing conference before. I’ve been to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books once (which was great fun, and I do plan to return to it!), and I’ve certainly attended panels […]
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