Happy Fourth Birthday to Writing Forward

Earlier this month, Writing Forward turned four years old.

Every year around this time, I reflect on the many wonderful people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had through this blog.

I believe that we writers are extremely lucky to be living in this particular era. The Internet has made it easier than ever for us to build platforms and audiences and to self-publish our work. But what’s most wonderful is that we are easily able to connect with other writers.

Writing Forward has been a vehicle through which I’ve discovered writers and their work, and that is something I never could have predicted four years ago when I launched this blog as part of a business plan.

While I’m proud of this site and all it has enabled me to accomplish, I feel that the anniversary of Writing Forward is really a tribute to its readers, friends, and fans. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to anyone who has visited this site; from loyal subscribers to random passers-by, from quiet lurkers to prolific commenters; all of you have made Writing Forward what it is today. Without you, I never would have reached this exciting milestone.

Thank you, and keep writing!

Forthcoming Book: 101 Creative Writing Exercises

As the approach of Writing Forward’s four-year anniversary loomed, I decided that it was time to write a book for this site. My goal was to put together a useful but fun book that was engaging and designed to help writers explore the possibilities in the world of creative writing.

Well, I was overwhelmed with ideas and instead of coming up with a single book idea, I developed a plan for a series of writing-related books. The series is titled Adventures in Writing and will include books packed with creative writing exercises, prompts, and tips for writers.

The first book is dubbed 101 Creative Writing Exercises, and it’s almost done! Stay tuned for details!

Writing Forward around the Web!

In the past few weeks, I’ve had the honor of guest posting on some wonderful blogs:

The Bookshelf Muse: “To Plot or Not to Plot” (8/15/11)

The Top Ten Blog: “The Top Ten Ways to Spice Up Your Writing” (7/28/11)

The Creative Penn: “The Five Biggest Mistakes Writers Make on Their Websites” (7/25/11)

I was also honored to be interviewed by two fine bloggers. You can check out the interviews below:

Laura Stanfill: “Interview: Melissa Donovan” (9/5/11)

Interview at Journal in a Box: “Who Journals?” (8/29/11)

Thanks again for all your support, and keep writing!