Write what you know — what you know in your deepest heart. Write your fire. Write your truth. Go ahead and write what you know...if you dare.

Let these writing tips kindle and empower your creativity all year long, not only during November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). And apply them to all your writing, whatever your form, media, subject or genre.

When did the call first come? When did you know, as clearly as you know your face, that you had to write? When did you know that an imperative deeper than any you have known was crying out for you to express it in words? When did you know?

Close your eyes and remember. Remember the stories you invented... Remember wonder and imagination... Remember make-believe... You can write.

“Sedona is my heart home,” she said to me wistfully, and in that moment I realized that it is mine, too. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I get to stay. It does mean that I will relish every moment I have here and will continue to be grateful for all the miracles that this magical place is blessing me with!

I’m often asked whether I have one piece of advice for writers. I don’t…because I have 10! These 10 tips have helped me write more than a dozen books (award-winning fiction and nonfiction), not to mention three optioned screenplays and countless articles and essays. They can help you too, whether you’re a seasoned writer or working on your first project and whatever your form, medium or genre.