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on getting started
This month, I’ve talked to several people with fascinating material for books. They came from different fields, different countries, and with different goals, but they had one thing in common: They had a strong vision. But they didn’t know where to start. Some were overwhelmed by their own ideas.(“Too much” can be scarier than “too little.”)…
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on getting edited (part two)
Welp…I got the dev editor’s feedback on my novel. I’m pleased to report that I did not immediately lie down upon reading it, nor has there been any crying. But neither do I feel a lightning strike of brilliance. No “That’s it! That’s what I needed this whole time!” I feel kind of … flat.…
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on what you get from a writing coach
“I hope this isn’t asking too much. I know it’s our first call,” someone asked me yesterday, “but how do I just…write better?” I’ll tell you what I told him in a sec. But first: Of course that isn’t asking too much. Yes, a writing coach’s job is to give you tools. But that’s not…
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on the wisdom of founders – part 2
Here’s something I’ve noticed working with high-powered founders:(Part 2 of 3) They don’t build businesses by fixing their weaknesses. They build them based on what they’re naturally good at. 📈 Very often, that natural talent and interest trace back to their childhood. One started learning her craft from her immigrant mother at 5. One grew…
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on miracles
Ever since I was a kid, I dreamt of publishing a book. And I worked at it. I wrote constantly, read, got an MFA, wrote some more. But for my first novel, something still wasn’t gelling. Even outside the million rejections I got, I knew something was off. Eventually I realized: Publishing a book takes more than just…
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on glimmers
Seven years before I moved to Iquitos, a friend mentioned it in passing. “There’s Machu Picchu, Arequipa, Iquitos,” he said, listing places to visit in Peru. “Iquitos? What’s that?” I’d never heard of it before, and something about the word snagged my attention. “It’s a city in the jungle,” he said. “I don’t know much…
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on getting edited
Today I sent my novel off to a dev editor. I’m excited – this is a big step for the book. And I know it will lead to a stronger manuscript… …but I’m also nervous. Getting a major edit can be scary. It may mean big changes. It may mean hearing something I’m not quite…
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on the wisdom of founders – part 1
The most successful founders and CEOs I’ve worked with all share this in common: They know it’s okay to be wrong.➡️ In fact, they encourage it. (I know, this goes against our cultural stereotype. Maybe that’s why I was so struck by it.) Visionaries know that great ideas don’t show up perfectly formed. They often…
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on getting good
Lately I’ve been learning to watercolor. A dear friend of mine recently lost her father, and I want to paint her a mountain range with a Bible verse. I now have ten drafts of the same image, all done along with the same Youtube video for beginners. Progress is slow…but I’m surprised by how good…
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on the richness of chocolate
Last week, my boyfriend came home from the market with what looked like a squash. “Calabaza?” I said. “Cacao,” he said. He chopped it in half. Inside was what looked like giant, brown corn on the cob, covered in slimy white mesh. Into the air fryer it went, and what emerged an hour later was…
Kimberly Bunker, MFA 