Brandi-Ann Uyemura

Take That Negative Feedback

brandiwplogin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:00:45 +0000

One of my favorite blogs Young House Love wrote an honest and helpful post on Dealing With Criticism the other day. While I’m one of their long time loyal fans, I found this last one so inspiring simply because of how applicable their post was to not just blogging, or even writing, but life itself. [...]

Creative Thoughts on Creating Fiction

brandiwplogin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:13 +0000

When I was frantic last week, a few fiction writers graciously helped me out. And so did an article I picked up today. As I side note: Did you ever notice that answers come when you ask the right questions? The surprising source was one of my favorite home decor magazines, Coastal Living. In their [...]

Fiction Anxiety – Help!

brandiwplogin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:56:17 +0000

I’m venturing into an unfamiliar territory. Fiction. Ack! Talk about anxiety. Fellow fiction writers I welcome your input on this one. Anyway, I let my husband read passages from it every once in awhile. And while I wait, I try to appear calm, but I’m really scrutinizing every eye movement, every shift in his position. [...]

Who Do You Surround Yourself With?

brandiwplogin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

When I first started my career as a full-time freelance writer, I didn’t know what I was doing. I made a ton of mistakes. I still do. But in looking back, I realized I neglected one thing. Myself. I’ve been reading Julia Cameron’s classic book The Artist’s Way. It’s taught me how the decisions we [...]

On Becoming a Writer

brandiwplogin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:00:19 +0000

I love hearing about the journey that prompted other writers to write. Some writers believe they were born with it-a passion for writing that began as soon as they learned how to write. For others, writing came later in life. Something spurred them to get words down on paper and their career took off from [...]

Giving Away a Book on Happiness

brandiwplogin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:27:38 +0000

Hi guys! You may remember writer and editor Sarah Nagel who guest blogged for me last week. Well she’s recently published a book with Blue Mountain Arts called How to Be Happy No Matter What! and I’m happy to have been able to review her book. I’m also giving away a free copy of the book that I [...]

Overcoming Self-Doubt in the Writing Process

brandiwplogin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:08 +0000

This post came at a perfect time! After just spilling my guts about how I sometimes fake it as a writer, I received the post below from author and editor Sarah Nagel who I’ve been following on Twitter. It gives practical advice to overcome the self-doubt that writers and all creatives face. I’m so grateful [...]

Feel Like a Fake?

brandiwplogin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:00:39 +0000

A lot of writers I’ve talked to and read about say that no matter how much they’ve written, published, or even obtained awards for, they still feel like a fake. And I’m one of them. I sometimes wonder what it would take for me to feel validated as in the words of one writer friend, “a [...]

Tips for Writing a Press Release

brandiwplogin — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:00:03 +0000

Boggled by how to write a press release? When you’re first starting out, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the different types of writing out there. But once you learn how to write it, it’s just one more thing you can add to your portfolio. This time I’ve got help from a guest blogger [...]

Christmas for the Freelance Writer

brandiwplogin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:00:42 +0000

This post was inspired by two writers. If Cathy Miller’s post and Michelle Rafter’s post got married, then in my warped mind, they’d created this baby of a post. I don’t know if this is a Hawaii thing, but my friends and family loved the 12 Days of Christmas (the song, not just the real thing). [...]