This blog is no longer active. Instead please visit Nova Ren Suma’s author website at novaren.com. There you will find current news, updates about her novels, a link to her mailing list, upcoming workshops and events, and how to contact her via email and social media.
Here are some guest posts you can find in the archives:
What Inspires You?
The inspiration blog series in November 2011 featured guest blogs by writers including YA authors, adult fiction authors, poets, playwrights, and more, revealing what inspires them to write. Posts include Sara Zarr on being inspired by failure, the deeply inspiring “I Just Feel Like It Is Going in a Really Random Direction” by Alexander Chee, “The Art of Being Dumb” by Timothy Braun, on being an artist in a world of commerce by Gwarlingo founder Michelle Aldredge, on inspiration by Kathleen Duey, and so much more. Read the whole series here.
What Scares You?
For the month of October 2011, leading up to Halloween, YA authors and other writers revealed the books and ideas that scared them. Posts included Libba Bray on horror and including a conversation with Satan, a collection of “Things to Do When You’re Dead” by Camille DeAngelis, a chilling true-to-life ghost story from Nina LaCour, the most terrifying book Courtney Summers has ever read, Carrie Ryan on what makes a story scary, and many more creepy books that scared the living daylights out of YA authors you know and love. Read the whole series here.
Turning Points
A blog series featuring various authors guest-blogging in response to the question: What was your turning point as a writer?
Here are the posts in the Turning Points series:
- Intro to the Turning Points blog series
- Gayle Forman: on overcoming bitterness
- Sean Ferrell: on the Writer who never arrives
- Eileen Cook: on a “nasty” book and a teacher’s advice that inspired her
- Christopher Barzak: on how short stories changed his vision for his novel
- Saundra Mitchell: on deciding to quit and walk away
- Eric Luper: on not writing for trends
- Gretchen McNeil: on how “everything happens for a reason”
- Julia DeVillers on the life-changing fan letter she wrote when she was ten
- Daisy Whitney on the book that opened her eyes to writing YA
- Brandy Colbert on the book that inspired her to find her voice
- Courtney Summers on redefining failure
- Sarah Darer Littman on turning off the noise
- Léna Roy on how she came to call herself a “writer”
- Megan Crewe on not choosing the “right” path
- Jennifer Echols on her eighth anniversary of not being stupid
- Blythe Woolston on how she accidentally became a writer
- Karen Mahoney on the discouraging moment that kept her from showing her writing for years
- Steve Brezenoff on how facing both death and birth became a turning point for his writing
- Christine Lee Zilka on how she fought to keep writing after a stroke at age 33
- Kim Purcell on rewriting her book from scratch
- Camille DeAngelis on “the laughter of sanity”
- Timothy Braun on being true to yourself and your writing
- Jordyn Turney on being a young writer and taking yourself seriously
- Kate Messner on finding perspective with bad reviews
- Jaclyn Dolamore on making the impossible possible
- Andrea Cremer on the accident that set off her writing and the choice to keep doing it full-time
- Aimee Phan on how Michael Jackson helped her love writing again
- Claire Legrand on the book she had to let go
- Bethany Griffin on finding the courage to do something completely different
- Stephanie Burgis on the writing workshop that changed her writing… and her life
- Jenny Torres Sanchez on being rejected, rejected, rejected and moving beyond it
- Pip Harry on the twelve years it took to publish her first novel
- Arlaina Tibensky on how reading Feed and hearing Libba Bray led her toward writing YA
- Leah Cypess on quitting her day job
- Jessica Corra on choosing yes
- C.J. Omololu on taking what you love and going for it
- Susan Adrian on the tunnel at the end of the darkness
- Amy Reed on letting her characters be in charge
- Joëlle Anthony on reading 200 books in her genre
- T. Michael Martin on fighting depression and pushing forward to publish his first book
- Beth Revis on the book that changed her life and turned her into a writer
- Tara Kelly on not letting anything kill her joy of writing
- Rebecca Barnhouse on how she tricked herself into writing fantasy
- Leigh Fallon on the moment in the rain when she sought escape
- Cindy Pon on keeping the faith, and trusting the process
- Micol Ostow on how the moment is always upon us
- S.J. Kincaid on creating her own NaNoWriMo in August
- Meagan Spooner on embracing fear
- C.K. Kelly Martin on staying true to yourself
- Patty Blount on the dark side of writing
- Alyssa B. Sheinmel on the workshop that changed her writing
- Malinda Lo on embracing who you are and what you’re meant to be
- Shannon Messenger on getting the courage to chase a new dream
- Elena K. Arnold on the moment she defined herself as a writer
- E.C. Myers on finding love and YA
- Rachele Alpine on how we define ourselves
- Jon Skovron on choosing your own adventure
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