Pep Talk Week #4: Victory Is Yours

Congratulations to the victors of JuNoWriMo! You have all won a significant victory, no matter what your final word count totaled. Why? You stepped out of your comfort zone. We recognize all kinds of creative growth at JuNoWriMo. This is true of both the traditional goal and Rebel goals. Whatever you’ve spent the month working on is important to you or you wouldn’t have prioritized the time to spend on it. Since the purpose of JuNoWriMo is to help writers, all kinds of accomplishments make up your victory! 

If you wrote one more paragraph than you have done before, that’s a victory. If you created an outline or a character profile for the first time, that’s a victory. If you looked at your project with new eyes in any way this month, that’s a victory. Signing up for JuNoWriMo and committing to challenging yourself in whatever form that looks like to you… that’s a victory in any case. 

     I want to share a little personal advice from my own trial-and-error process of creative writing. Do not let this month’s growth stagnate. I absolutely love writing in JuNoWriMo with all of you. Somewhere in the midst of the creative high of June, I always promise myself to continue my daily writing habit even when the month is over! I’ll be totally honest… Most of the time, I don’t do that at all. 

When the Facebook group posts are over and there are no more Sprints or overall group excitement, I tend to fall back into my occasional writing slump. My biggest piece of advice and challenge to all of us is to not allow this to happen. JuNoWriMo is a beautiful celebration of what it means to create… the best way to honor its lessons is to keep it up! Even if you’re not trying to write 1700 words a day, even if you don’t write every day… don’t let the inspiration become lost. It’s invaluable! That might be the biggest victory of them all.

Congratulations, writers! 

Elizabeth Conrad writes short stories and novel-length works in mainstream, fantasy and science fiction genres. She also enjoys singing and design. Her favorite animals are cats and rabbits. She firmly believes that there can never be enough coffee in the world.

Pep Talk Week #3: Beyond The Obvious: Self-Care For Writers

A lot of posts that address this part of our journey include tips and tricks to beat a Week Three slump. These tips are much needed and can be very helpful. I’ll list a few here… change POV, location, add or edit out characters, try different settings and even find a different place to do your JuNoWriMo writing. A change of scene can mean everything! However, there is much more to triumphing in Week Three than writing pointers. 

Self-care for writers isn’t just a pleasant idea for a cute Instagram post. It is and should become as much a part of your writing experience as creating outlines and having a habitual time to write. While self-care will look different for each individual, it can boost you out of any slump if you dedicate time and energy to doing it. 

First, make sure that you’re as well-rested as possible. I know that the inner editor sneaks out of the corner and ambushes me more readily when I’m sleep-deprived and totally worn out. In addition to having a good sleep schedule, get to know your personal creative energy times. I’ve never been much of a night writer, no matter how hard I’ve tried to become one. However, mornings and early afternoons are when I really hit my stride. Don’t compare your creative energy time to other peoples’ energy times. Early birds are no better or lesser writers than night owls. It’s all about finding the way that works best for you. Then just go for it! 

Be sure to eat and drink in a healthy manner. As you work on your project, you may appreciate having meals and snacks prepared ahead of time so cooking is low-stress. By all means, stay hydrated! Many of us absolutely love coffee and caffeine packed teas as our writing fuel… not just for energy but for taste! But you can and should fill your trusty JuNoWriMo mug with water or another decaf beverage from time to time. Your body is a machine, the vehicle of expressing your creativity, so make sure you treat it like a luxury sports car to keep the engine running. 

Take breaks as you need them. Stand up, stretch and go outside. Yes, even in your quest for writing all the words, the outdoors and sunshine still exist, so be sure to experience them frequently! Any kind of movement can stimulate new ideas by giving you that refreshing break that you need. Stretch, dance, go for a walk. Just move your body because it’s good for you and your brain. Another thing you can do to put some variety into your day is to incorporate a few small, non-demanding outside projects. My favorite things to do alongside JuNoWriMo are knitting and crocheting. I choose projects that don’t have a deadline and can be picked up and put down at any time. I think of this as “nonverbal thinking.” As I spend a few moments doing something far removed from the world of words and writing, my brain is refreshed and I’m eager to return to my WIP with a new perspective. 

One last thought on self-care: rewards are good. Whatever it is that you want to do in celebration of meeting a goal, do it with happiness! You are growing and learning, which is very reward-appropriate. Do something that you’ve held off on this month. Indulge in something which you might have wanted for a long time. Call or text a friend, meet them for lunch. Play your favorite music. Watch a movie. Be your own biggest cheerleader because you deserve it! 

Happy writing! 

Elizabeth Conrad writes short stories and novel length works in mainstream, fantasy and science fiction genres. She also enjoys singing and design. Her favorite animals are cats and rabbits. She firmly believes that there can never be enough coffee in the world.

Pep Talk Week #2: Keep Going!

Hello, lovely writers! We’re into week two. This is a great week for writing, if you’ve hit your stride. That momentum can carry you on through and really pick up steam like a snowball rolling down a hill. 

But what if you aren’t there? What if you haven’t found your groove? It’s simple – it’s okay. You’re not behind, this week is another chance to begin. A chance to build on what you do have. 

For me, when I run into a wall – one that’s usually made of cinderblock and held together with the strongest cement to ever exist – I shift my focus. 

Instead of a daily word count, my plan is just to get in front of the computer. 

Instead of a length of time, I try to build a habit. 

And I’m not above bribing myself either. Write some words? Probably should go buy a book!  

There’s not one path to success this month. If you write one word, you’ve already succeeded. In the business of writing books, imposter syndrome can run rampant. Don’t let it get in your head. Every single person who writes has a different path to their success and every single person has a different view of what success even is. So as we run headlong into week two, just know you’re doing great! Every word is one more piece in reaching your goal. 

Every person who writes is a writer. 

Be gentle with yourself and don’t worry about someone else is doing. 

Just remember – it’s your goal and your success and it belongs to you. 


I’m Angi Nicole Black and I’ll be around leading sprints with you throughout the month. I’m a writer and editor as well as a Musical Theater nerd who teaches that and dance at Missouri State University. You can find me on Twitter at @anginicole722 and my website anginicoleblack.com

Pep Talk Week #1: Starting Your JuNoWriMo Journey

It’s 2023 and June has ushered in a whole new year of JuNoWriMo. Notice the excitement in the air. Can you hear the words beginning to take off from the starting line as they move from your imagination onto the page? New beginnings can bring out the best in us, and that’s why the start of another writing journey can cause us to view our projects in an entirely different light. It’s the light of possibility as you write this month. 

Whether you’re a JuNoWriMo traditionalist who’s heading for the 50K finish line or if you have chosen our new Rebel option for personal goals, the possibilities are brimming and endless. I’ve compared this week to opening a brand-new box of crayons in the past, and I still feel that the idea fits. I hope you embrace the newness of the year by experimenting with your WIP, looking at different angles to see how you can discover inspiration as you take each step in your writing journey. 

As I’ve been in my procrastination phase of planning my own writing project, I’ve been binge watching past seasons of The Amazing Race. It’s very interesting to see how the racers are so eager for their journey as they begin and how early momentum can give them such a boost into the competition. They are certainly “journeying on” while traveling the world! But  as much as I love The Amazing Race, I love creativity with JuNoWriMo even more. Why? There are no winners versus losers at JuNoWriMo. Everyone wins by putting one foot in front of the other, and the best way to make the win your own is observing your growth of creativity over the weeks. JuNoWriMo is a brave thing to do, but perhaps what makes it -and you! – brave, even more than meeting the goals, is the act of stepping out into your own creativity. There’s no wrong way to write. That’s good motivation to slam down that pesky inner editor when it appears. Chase it away by knowing that the way you write your project doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be your unique vision of whatever you’re writing.  

Above all, please enjoy your journey through the month. Editing can wait; now is the time to have fun and explore new worlds. Please remember that the marvelous community of writers is waiting for you. Our Facebook group includes a wide variety of writers at different stages and experience levels. We are a unique group because we truly support each other. It’s the perfect place to share triumphs, questions and times that definitely qualify you for the “Hard Day, Wrote Anyway” badge. Whatever you’re feeling, we’ve felt it, too. You are never alone at JuNoWriMo! 

A final tip as you begin JuNoWriMo is to be sure to take advantage of our Sprints on Twitter (@JuNoWriMo). I can personally attest to how quickly and enjoyably Sprints can build your word count! Please watch for Sprint times in the Facebook group and newsletters. We often have impromptu sprints that are usually announced on Facebook. 

Happy writing and journey on with JuNoWriMo! 

Pep Talk Week 4: Writing Magic

Dear Reader,

Recently, I rewatched The Magicians. In one of the episodes, one of my favorite characters, Margo, mentioned something I’ve held with me for a long time. Magic comes from pain

When I first watched the series years ago, I remembered the line got me through a lot. I think rewatching it was some sort of calling. As someone who was experiencing a rut–not a creative rut, a rut that comes from being buried under deadlines, imposter syndrome, and more–this line spoke to me once again.

Words are magic. In spell books, in tv shows, and in more, words are used as a conduit to cast spells. I think, in some way, that extends to writing. We are magicians because we put our blood, sweat, tears, hopes, fears, and souls into words. Be it ink, or graphite, or zeros and ones on a screen, these mediums are our wands, and the novels, short stories, poems, and essays we write are the byproduct of the magic we cast.

Which brings me back to that expression. If Magicians use magic, and it comes from pain, then the words and stories we write also come from it. This experience has been used and morphed throughout time. How writers have to mine their trauma. Or how your lived experiences make the best stories. The suffering artist trope. I can go on and on.

Pain is a tool in a writer’s arsenal. Just like point-of-view, exposition, and dialogue. Too much dialogue, and your stories lack grounding. Too much exposition, and you’re telling, not showing. Like everything, there needs to be a balance. Going back to The Magicians, to write, just like to cast, the circumstances have to be right. 

The world is a mess right now. There’s no other way to say it. The world is pushing down on us in every way imaginable. We cannot control it. 

But we can control ourselves. We can control how that pain manifests itself. We are not only magicians, readers, we are alchemists who can turn blood into wine. It doesn’t have to happen instantly. The spell might take one month or one year, but in the end, if you lean into it, if you trust yourself, and if you remember, you are powerful, and not shy away from those feelings, you might just make something great.

And I believe, with my whole heart and being, we will be the best magicians known to man. 

Onward,

Kosoko Jackson

Kosoko Jackson is a digital media specialist, focusing on digital storytelling, email, social and SMS marketing, and a freelance political journalist. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium, Thought Catalog, The Advocate, and some literary magazines. When not writing YA novels that champion holistic representation of black queer youth across genres, he can be found obsessing over movies, drinking his (umpteenth) London Fog, or spending far too much time on Twitter. His YA debut, YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, came out in 2021, published by SourceBooks Fire and his adult #OwnVoices queer Romcom, I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU will come out in 2022, by Berkley Romance.

Pep Talk Week #2: Don’t Look Back

Dear Writer,

I have long been obsessed with mythology, specifically the Greeks. My favorite among these myths is that of Orpheus and Eurydice. What I find myself returning to again and again within this myth and my current work-in-progress is a lasting reminder. Don’t look back. This, dear writer, is a mantra to recite daily as you endeavor to fill one page after the next. 

No matter what stage or scene you find yourself in, you must keep your eyes on the forward motion of your story. Sure, there will be trials and roadblocks and wrong turns along the way. Writing is, after all, a journey with a destination. But the best adventures often arrive when we get out of our own way.

Most recently, I forgot the name for the location of the school I created in my own fictional world. I searched through reference materials saved in Scrivener, but could not find the answer I needed. Following this slight sense of panic, I took too many hours diving into archives of notes from 2014 to present day. I discovered folders from Phase One and Phase Two only to be struck by the realization that this story is now in Phase Three. Here, dear writer, is where my most beloved advice of don’t look back would’ve suited me well.

While I did find the answer I needed, too much time spent away from the writing dwindled the momentum I gained that Sunday morning. Perhaps, it was procrastination at a subconscious level. I knew that specific writing session would be about tackling a difficult chapter. In an effort to feel prepared, I lost that fizzle of alchemical obsession that often causes us to write in a haze. You know those days, dear writer, as they are often the ones which never feel tangible. The words are just there without a real memory of putting them on the page. 

But here’s the thing. Tough chapters will happen. There may be answers to questions you cannot remember in the moment. The key is to keep writing despite these challenges. And you guessed it, don’t look back. 

When facing troublesome scenes or struggling to make sense of what you think your story should be, consider the points of the journey you are most excited to write. It might be a small idea or image, it may be a conversation echoing on a loop in your head or an action scene you’ve imagined with perfect pacing. Whatever it may be, use these as an anchor to stay tethered to the act of writing.

As mentioned earlier, my work-in-progress novel began as a small seedling of an idea in 2014. During my time in the Mountainview MFA, I conceptualized a story filled with dreams. I  researched and wrote. I added more pages and ideas. My final semester of my graduate studies, I met with my mentor to pitch that story and discuss the plan for the next few months. Very quickly, my mentor let me know that this was not what my story was actually about. She gave me a deadline and urged me to rethink the concept. I must note that I have always thrived on setting a goal, and that night, I did in fact conceptualize a new version of this story. It felt right. And even then, there was a scene in a lighthouse I needed to write. It got me through to the end of my thesis. 

Now in Phase Three having finally gotten out of my own way, leaning into my strengths as a writer, and incorporating my love of mythology, I have finally found what this story needs to be, and I refuse to look back. As I approach the final part of the novel, I am once again writing toward that scene in the lighthouse. Even amidst the tough chapters, it keeps me excited to continue this journey. 

Throughout this month, you will encounter all kinds of chapters and scenes moving you toward your desired word count. This is your destination. And along the way, there is magic to be found in the journey. 

This is what keeps us returning to the page, right? There will be days when you’re tired and the words come too slow. And other hours may hurt because the writing feels too real, too authentic to ever consider sharing with the world. I’m here to tell you that this month, it doesn’t matter if the writing is scary so long as you put words on the page. 

Dear writer, the world is not always kind and life is not always easy. Some days, survival may be all you can manage. But on the other days when you find excitement for the scenes you’ve yet to write, these are the days when getting close is better than best because it means you haven’t given up. 

Believe in yourself. Take a deep breath. Drink some water because you’re probably dehydrated. Keep trying. And most importantly this month, don’t look back until you make it to the end, whatever that means for you. 

Wishing you all the very best, 

Kayla King 

Kayla King is an author of fiction and poetry. Her debut micro-collection of poetry, These Are the Women We Write About, is published by The Poetry Annals.

She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Pages Penned in Pandemic: A Collective, now available for purchase. All proceeds will be donated to 826 National, an organization supporting young writers.

Kayla is a graduate of the Mountainview MFA with her sights set on publishing the novel conceptualized during her graduate studies. She will be completing her YA speculative novel about dreams this summer before seeking representation, and always dreaming bigger than ever. To learn more and catch a sneak peek of her first page, check out her conversation with agent Danielle Chiotti featured on the Manuscript Academy Podcast! You can follow Kayla’s writing journey over at her website: kaylakingbooks.com or her twitterings @KaylaMKing. 

Pep Talk Week 4: The Final Push

Hey everybody! Week 4!! We’re so close to the end of the month!

I thought about talking about word counts, final pushes, or finding something super inspirational—but instead I’m going to say this:

Good job!

Look at what you’ve accomplished! 5 words? 50 words? 50000?? Great! You decided to do a thing and you did it. You’re a writer. You made art. You did something original.

You still have this last week to meet your goal, but if you don’t, that’s okay. You can still write in July. You can write in August. You can set a new goal and try again in November.

As long as you keep writing, you simply can’t fail. There aren’t any wrong answers here or only one way to do it.

Your way is the best way for you. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

So, my writing friends, here’s to the last week of June. It might be the end of JuNoWriMo 2018, but it’s only the beginning of your journey. So keep on writing. Keep on making art. Keep on believing in you.

Peace, love, and words,
Angi

Angi GriffeeAngi Griffee is a dance and theater instructor whose love affair with words helps her create books. She also bakes, sings, and owns Wise Owl Words Editing.

Pep Talk Week 3: Strategies for Writing through the Middle

We’re entering week three of JuNoWriMo. Some of you have already crossed the 50k line, some of you are close, and some of you are writing madly while knowing you won’t make that goal. The thing that all of these have in common is that you are writing and that is fantastic.

Today, I’m mostly speaking to the folks who aren’t finished yet and are trying to jam out a whole bunch of words. Yes, you can just write random stuff and bump up your wordcount that way, but wouldn’t it be nice to have words that you’ll be happy with later for more than just the quantity of them? Here’s a list of strategies find words you’re excited about.

  1. Remember that you are telling a story and you are telling it to yourself first and foremost. We are, all of us, readers. So when you’re sitting there staring at the page, don’t think about what you should write next, think about what you would want to read.
  2. Remember what excited you about the story in the first place. Bring it back. You liked the flying monkeys in chapter 2? No reason they can’t make a reappearance here.
  3. Doodling for writers. Write description from your character’s point of view. Ridiculous descriptions. Describe the woodgrain on the desk sitting in the corner of the room that your character is in. At some point, your brain will say, “Really? We’re talking woodgrain? I have some plot here. Would you like some plot?” That description isn’t wasted. It tells you about the space that your character is in and you can often cut those words up and put them in other places in your novel
  4. Pick a technique to practice. Dialogue. Setting. Internal monologue… Now doodle for writers with that, until you find your way again.
  5. Gift your character with your indecision. They don’t know what their plan is either, so think about the smartest thing that they can do — but think about it on the page and in their point of view.
  6. Figure out what your character wants overall and also in this scene. Now. Systematically deny it to them. They want a glass of water? Fine, break the faucet. They go to call the plumber? Tough luck about the phone coming off the wall like that. Be mean to them.
  7. Brackets are your best friends. If you are on a roll, don’t stop to look things up. Put it in [square brackets] and come back to it.
  8. Bored with a scene? Just jot down what happens next so you can get to the part that you really want to write. Sometimes, you’ll come back later and find you didn’t need the part you skipped.
  9. Set a timer for twenty minutes and tell yourself that your fingers cannot stop moving. Before you hit start, pick a goal for the scene — something specific like “they break out of prison with a mason jar” or “she realizes she loves him.” Now write.
And if you don’t hit 50k by the end of June? No big deal. There’s always next month. Sure, JuNoWriMo is in June, but dude– writers write. And you, my friend, you are a writer.

Mary Robinette KowalMary Robinette Kowal is the author of historical fantasy novels: The Glamourist Histories series and Ghost Talkers. She has received the Campbell Award for Best New Writer, three Hugo awards, the RT Reviews award for Best Fantasy Novel, and has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. Her stories appear in Asimov’sClarkesworld, and several Year’s Best anthologies. Mary, a professional puppeteer, also performs as a voice actor (SAG/AFTRA), recording fiction for authors including Seanan McGuire, Cory Doctorow, and John Scalzi. She lives in Chicago with her husband Rob and over a dozen manual typewriters. Visit maryrobinettekowal.com.

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Pep Talk Week 2: How To Keep Writing

This week, Angi Black helps you sail through the halfway point of JuNoWriMo (and probably also your diet if you’re on one).

Hey there JuNoWriMo-ers! It’s week two and we’re nearly halfway done!! 

How you doing? 

Two weeks in is always the tipping point for me. If I’m sailing, I only build steam. On the other hand, if I’m struggling, I think about quitting. And that’s what today’s pep talk is about. How to keep going no matter how it is going. 

It’s always easy to sit down and write when the words are flowing. Those are the best days. You sit down, stretch your fingers over the keys, and with that gentle tap-tap-tap the world that lives in your brain comes to life in front of your eyes. It’s like magic and you are the wizard. 

But what about those days when it’s hard to put a sentence together? What about the times when life stands in between you and the keyboard? The days when you’ve convinced yourself you’re not a writer. Those are the days I’m talking about. 

First – everyone has those days. Every. One. If they say different, they are selling something. 

Second – it’s gonna happen. Sometimes I can sit down and pump out so many words I have to double check the count to make sure I actually did that. Sometimes, I can’t do anything but read over my last chapter and delete the ten times I used the word Just. 

Third – One bad day does not equal a wasted month. (Or year, or book, or whatever our brains would like us to believe).

When I get stuck I try to remember those three things. I take a deep breath and think them through. 

Have you ever been on a diet? That was a silly question. I’ll rephrase. Remember the last time you were on a diet? And you ate that pizza and then you had a birthday party and ate cake and then because you’d done all that you finished the day with one (or three) too many glasses of wine? No? 

Oh. Me either then. But hypothetically speaking… Because you’d felt like you’d blown it you decided to make your little bonfire into the explosion behind Ironman as he walks away. This is the same thing we do to our writing when it doesn’t come easy. We take a slow day of writing and turn it into OH MY GOD I’LL NEVER WRITE ANOTHER WORD WHAT AM I DOING HOW DID I GET HERE?????

And you know what’s great? It’s the easiest thing not to. All you have to do is this – be nice to yourself. 

I know, weird, right? 

When you start to struggle, think about what you would say to someone else who is struggling. I bet you’d encourage them, tell them they got this, and give them permission to have a slow day. 

So now, do that for yourself. A lot of us think we’re not writers because of where we are in the process. Some of think we’ll never finish that second (or third or tenth) book. All of us worry it won’t be good enough. 

If you are writing, you are a writer.

You will finish whatever you put your mind to. 

And your words will speak to the people they are supposed to. 

All it takes is a whole lotta bravery and a little patience with ourselves. 

So happy writing, my friends!! 

Now, take a deep breath! Because I believe in you. You got this!!! And slow or fast, you’ll get there. Happy writing!

With magic words and love, 

XO 

Angi

Angi GriffeeAngi Griffee is a dance and theater instructor whose love affair with words helps her create books. She also bakes, sings, and owns Wise Owl Words Editing.

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Pep Talk Week 1: Writing Isn’t Just Writing

Get excited for this month’s challenge with a poignant and funny reminder from author Chuck Wendig that writing is so much more than “just writing.” 

The good news, and the bad news, is that there is nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know.

You already know it’s going to be hard. Writing, despite what some assume, isn’t easy. It’s an act of mining – except instead of chipping rock, you’re chipping away at ideas, at emotions, at the schist and bedrock of your own mind.

You already know that it’s going to be weird. I mean, c’mon. You sit in front of a computer, basking in the glow, and you look at that glowing square and try to impress upon it the breadth and depth of a whole story. You also make people up. Like, you invent them. Wholecloth. Thin air. Entire beings that are you, but aren’t you, at the same time.

You already know that nobody will really appreciate it. I’m a NYT-bestselling author, and I still meet people who know I’m a writer, and their response is basically, “That’s nice.” And then they tell you a thing as if it’s somehow equivalent: “Oh, I found a sale today on a nice jacket,” and you want to respond, “I CREATED A WHOLE UNIVERSE WITH MY MIND, IT ISN’T THE SAME, JANICE,” but they just blink and smile and you can’t really crack that nut.

You already know that to write, you need to write. You need to quantum entangle YOUR BUTT with THAT CHAIR and herd those words. Writing can’t happen without writing, can it?

You also already know that writing isn’t just writing. It’s also a whoooooole lot of wandering and dreaming and thinking and worrying. It’s showering and mowing the lawn and then reading and re-reading and editing and weeping and eating cake under your desk.

You already know that desk-cake is the best cake, but also the most worrisome cake.

I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know.

But you and I both know, too, that no matter how weird and how hard it is, writing is what you do and who you are, and it’s worth doing just the same. Stories are sublime. Books are amazing. You don’t come to this ignorant of that. It forms part of a fantastic tradition – a tapestry of words and tales to which you wish to add your very own thread. You know that it matters. That being this thing and doing this work is important to you. Because you’ve read so much already by so many others that has left an indelible print on your soul.

You know you’re going to do it.

You’re a writer, and a writer writes. You know that, too. In your heart. In your gut.

So go write. Show us all what you know.

See you on the other side, penmonkeys.

Chuck WendigChuck Wendig is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Aftermath, as well as the Miriam Black thrillers, the Atlanta Burns books, Zer0es/Invasive, and his upcoming epic, Wanderers (Del Rey, 2019). He’s also worked in a variety of other formats, including comics, games, film, and television. A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the cowriter of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus, he is also known for his popular blog, terribleminds.com, and his books about writing. He lives in Pennsylvania with his family.

Social Media: @chuckwendig on Twitter and @chuck_wendig on IG