*Below is not a transcript of video.

A few years ago, I had to go to the doctor’s office because I was experiencing so much wrist pain I had to get it checked out. At that time, I learned everything I needed to know about carpal tunnel syndrome and because it sidelined me for quite a while, I decided to start making some changes quickly to avoid ever going down that road again. I developed some really easy habits that I do every day that I wanted to share with everyone who writes, stares at a computer all day or is on the phone regularly.

A lot of writers, and creative people in general, tend to
overwork themselves especially when they’re in that zone or experiencing that
ever elusive “light bulb” moment. We’ll write
for hours without stopping — we’re also prone to over-due it when we’re
experiencing some sort…

Hi all,

So this week, after much umm’ing and ah’ing, I decided to submit my middle grade manuscript to Pitch Wars.

For those unaware, Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where mentors select a writer and work with them over a three month period, offering suggestions to improve their manuscript, query letter, and pitch for a subsequent agent showcase event. More details of the program can be found here.

I’ll be honest, I was undecided about entering this program for the reason most writers hesitate: lack of belief that my writing is good enough. But that is also why I DID want to enter. What I do believe in is my story’s (and my writing’s) potential. I’m just not sure how to reach it. I know my story is not where I want it, but I’m not sure how to get it there.

There are two more reasons I decided…