Year: 2021

Marie Chan > Blog > 2021

How Sharing Our Stories Can Bind Broken Hearts

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“It’s time,” my husband whispered in my ear. He clutched Samuel’s picture frame close to his chest as we slowly squeezed our way to the end of the line. All the young couples in front of us were happily holding their babies. One mom glanced at me and said, “I have the same dress.” I feigned a grin and stared at my blue lace maternity dress, barely able to see my feet over my postpartum belly. My mind instantly filled with flashbacks of flat-liners, my baby’s crib replaced with a casket, and my shattered innocence about healthy, blissful pregnancies. Would our…

Building Connections After a Conference

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1. Debrief with another writer after the conference. Sometimes you may feel like you’re drinking from a fire hose attending one workshop after another during an intensive conference.   One way to address this problem is to debrief with another writer after the conference. I am thankful for a good friend, who suggested that we meet after my first writers’ conference. Although we didn’t have time during the live conference to meet, calling each other afterwards was very valuable. My friend was a longstanding member, and when she shared her past conference experiences with me, that helped me immensely as a…

Five Reasons I Go to Writers’ Conferences

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Before, I used to think that all I needed as a writer was a well-crafted manuscript. I was shocked to find out that writer = entrepreneur + small business owner + marketer. With all these new expectations that accompany traditional publishing and writing, it is vital to join a writing community and attend writers’ conferences to stay updated on the latest trends and changes in the publishing industry. However, conferences do have a cost, so are they worth the expense? Here are five reasons why I encourage you to go to a writers’ conference. 1. Writers’ conferences help you hone…

A Tip for Finishing Your Manuscript

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Sometimes I get an idea for a story, but it does not get fully developed. Perfectionism often can lead to procrastination and unfinished manuscripts. Focusing on a perfect first draft is futile. Instead, I find the right words come after revising my initial draft many times.  What can I do to persevere in revisions or take the first step to get my whole story written down?  My tip is to enter a writing contest. Many contests are free to enter and cover multiple genres. When I know these deadlines are fixed with no exception, that by the stroke of midnight…
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