Posts | Avril Marie Aalund

Sounding Off | How Building a Soundtrack Can Help Your Story

While I was in college, I had the good fortune to host a weekly radio program with the school’s student-run radio station. A lot of time...

Writing It Down Rather Than Typing It Up | Why I Prefer Writing The First Draft By Hand

One question I am asked frequently about my writing process is why I write the first draft of any project by hand. In this digital age...

The Goodbye Place | Why Ending “The Good Place” Is A Good Decision

So far, 2019 has been a year of conclusions in pop culture from Avengers: Endgame hitting cinemas with a record-shattering release to the...

Checking In With My Checklist | Have I Actually Accomplished Any Of My 2019 Goals?

June is the sixth month of the year, meaning we’re coming up on the halfway mark for 2019. You might recall one of the earliest articles...

You & Me & He | My Angle on Writing Love Triangles

A Barbie Girl In A Writer’s World | A Handful Of Things I Have Learned About Writing Through B

Barbie dolls have been a staple in girlhood for generations. Over the years, her appearance has evolved alongside the fashion trends of...

Proof of Progress | My Personal Editing Process

When I was in college, I worked on the school’s student newspaper as a copy editor. This role had me editing and proofreading articles...

What’s In A Name? | Things to Consider When Naming Your Characters

We all know the line. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” ~William Shakespeare, Romeo...

Is Said Really Dead? | Adding My Voice To The Great Dialogue Tag Debate

We’ve all heard the old adage, “Said is dead.” It’s fair to say this has become something of a great debate among writers, right up there...

Four Things I’ve Learned About Writing While Working In Retail

While I was in college, I held a work-study position as an office assistant and receptionist at the school’s on-campus advising office....