Elizabeth Lim's Blog, page 3

Embracing Imperfection

One of the first lessons you learn as a writer is to murder your darlings, which is not meant to detach us writers from falling in love with our words so much as it is for us to realize that sometimes, we need to get rid of something we love to make things better.That's not exactly what I want to talk about today, but it's close. Something that's difficult for me, especially in my early stages of working on a project is embracing imperfection. Keeping things pristine was highly valued in my h...

Nostalgia and Wonder

My baby sister graduated from college this past weekend. I'm incredibly proud of her, and I'm excited for her to put her stamp on the world -- but at the same time, I'm a little sad. I can't help but remember how carefree life was when we were both kids: when we could make music and write stories without having to worry what other people thought of them, or whether we'd be able to pay our rent or whether we were doing something that would sustain us financially and spiritually. We just did it...

Setting and Achieving Little Goals

We writers are no strangers to goals. Write a short story! Write a novel! Get an agent! Get a book deal! Get on the NYTimes Bestsellers List! On and on it goes, but sometimes I think it's more important to take a step back and think about the "littler goals." When I write, I like to pace myself. For me, writing a book's like going on a long journey. Every step counts, and I like to go at a steady pace (I personally have adopted Stephen King's method of writing 2000 words a day). So with each...

Resources for Agented Authors

They say that finding an agent is a lot like dating. These days, it's a lot more like online dating, to be precise.And like online dating, there's a slew of info out there about how to do put your best face/foot forward while trying to get your dream agent to commit to you. You've got to hook them with a great pitch (your query letter), get them to read your fabulously written book, and pray that they love it! Oh, and ideally not be a crazy person. There's some luck involved, but it's mostly...

Rewind and Recharge

Just got home from a much needed vacation. Visited family, ate delicious food, and saw stunning new sights. Sometimes we writers try to push ourselves too hard, so I'm thankful my family and friends encourage me to take breaks. Walked over 8 miles a day, so I'm glad I write with my hands not my feet.If you follow my instagram, you might know that I'm a self-proclaimed foodie. To that end, I've been told by my critique partners that my next book really should feature food. Trying some new dish...

I'm Writing a Retelling of Mulan for DISNEY!

After months of sitting on this, I'm so excited to finally announce I have a book coming out with DISNEY PRESS! (Cue squeals and exclamation points!) For those of you who don't know, I grew up breathing and singing Disney. Disney's the reason I started composing, and the reason I started writing fiction. My little sister and I probably know most of the Disney songs by heart...and we used to have karaoke sessions at home on the piano after doing our homework...So yeah. I'm thrilled. Plus, Mula...

Challenges in the Hero and Myth

I grew up devouring books on mythology. I think that's part of the reason I always loved writing, and writing fantasy especially. Stories of shapeshifter, gods, and magic always fascinated me and whenever I write, I find I'm often influenced by folktales and fairytales I read when I was a child.I finished reading Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth and Hero of a Thousand Faces a few months ago, and today I attended a workshop on The Hero's Journey.Regardless of whether you have one novel, fiv...