Here’s why that matters and how I did it. — I started posting on TikTok about two weeks ago. Late last night, I reached 1000 followers. You can find that here. Ninja Writers (Shaunta Grimes) (@ninjawriters) TikTok | Watch Ninja Writers (Shaunta Grimes)'s… Ninja Writers (Shaunta Grimes) (@ninjawriters) on TikTok | 2.5K Likes. 1K Fans. Writer/Teacher Bit of a mess I'll help…www.tiktok.com There are a couple of reasons why it’s important to get to 1000 followers on TikTok. I’m going to talk about each of them. …

Control what you can control. Let the rest take care of itself. — I came across someone on Tik Tok this week. They have 10 million followers. Ten. Million. They put on makeup and 10 million people pay attention. And someone else who has 1.5 million followers. They got a book deal. I’m not going to lie. It’s hard to look at my…

Meet FRED . . . — FRED is the folder for reaching the end of your draft. And he is magical. This deceptively simple little tool keeps me on track, reminds me that I’m a real writer (when I need that reminder), and makes sure I actually finish my projects. …

Spoiler: It was more than I expected. — I’ve been a professional writer for thirty years. I sold my first novel twelve years ago. I have a master’s degree in creative writing. In other words — I’ve been doing this a long time. Which is why I can say with certainty that every writer can learn something from…

Saying goodbye to someone who wasn’t very nice. — It’s 4 am on a random Thursday in November and I’m researching how to donate a body to a medical school. I’ve been binge watching Grey’s Anatomy the last few months. I think that’s where the idea came from. There’s nothing really special about the day. Except that I’m curled…

And why you should. — This probably isn’t news to you, but I’m going to say it anyway. The first page of your novel matters. A lot. It matters more than any other page in your entire book. It’s the page the rest of your novel is judged by. If an agent or editor isn’t…

It’s all about how it makes you feel. — I watched the sunset over Lake Erie on Labor Day. The fiery ball of the sun lowered until it touched the water and then slowly dipped to the other side of the Earth. But it wasn’t the physical description of that sunset that I paid particular attention to. I’ve seen…

Five tips that will make all the difference. — Inner monologue is a character talking to themselves — inside their heads. Basically, it’s dialogue that’s not spoken. It’s thoughts. There is a difference between inner monologue and exposition (or narrative.) Inner monologue is happening in the moment. It’s what’s going on in a character’s head during an active scene…

And why you should. — I learned about style guides in the late 1990s when I was a baby newspaper reporter in the actual Armpit of America. Armpit of America Discover Armpit of America in Battle Mountain, Nevada: Small Nevada town embraced its designation as the "Armpit of…www.atlasobscura.com A style guide is simply a book full of writing rules. Do you write out numbers or use numerals? Is there a period after Dr? Should we use…