What Exactly IS the Writer's Cabin?

Maybe like my mother, you have been wondering what exactly the writer's cabin is. Sometimes it seems to be a blog, other times, it seems to be a Youtube channel, and for a select few, it is a course.

Whatever you may think, it is nearly complete (well...ready to release the first part may be a better term, it's not really something that can be "finished"). So I feel prepared to start revealing more, peeling back the curtain a little bit.

In truth, the Writer's Cabin is all of those things mentioned above. I do a lot of editing, and although I love what I do, it can sometimes get repetitive. Giving the same advice over and over again, seeing the same problems in a revolving door of manuscripts. Sure every book and author is unique, but especially working with Indies, inevitable mistakes often pop up repeatedly. On top of that, editing, publishing, running websites, and raising kids don't leave much time for writing my own stuff at the end of the day.

I'm not complaining, but a while ago, after writing show don't tell on another manuscript for probably the 100 thousandth time, I got to thinking.

What if there were a place I could direct authors where they could find all the explanations and answers they needed. A trusted source all in one place. It would have to be a place where writers could learn the basics and get a deeper understanding of the theories behind the techniques.

When I was done imagining the perfect place, I realized it already existed.

A university.

But let's face it. University education in creative writing is not something 80% or more of writers will get or can afford. Most have day jobs in different areas, families, and more pressing financial obligations. For more writers, writing is a pipe dream or a beloved hobby.

Now, there is always the internet. But learning everything you need to know to grow as a writer on the internet is challenging at best. First, you have to figure out what it is you need to know in the first place. Then you need to sift through the "advice" and "tips" to find the content that deserves those titles, most of it being regurgitated and shallow.

There is good stuff out there, that is for sure, but navigating that jungle requires critical thinking and experience, something hard to come by when you are just starting.

The greatest thing about learning at a university is that you are not told what to do or how you have to write. Instead, you hear the opinions of people who have been in it for a long time and discuss those things. You discuss them amongst people more experienced than you and, most importantly, between people on the same level as you. You come out of the experience with opinions of your own, developed over time through thought and the critical examination of them.

I was lucky in my career (editing and writing), I learned a lot on my own, but although I didn't major in creative writing specifically, mine involved enough writing courses to know what I needed to learn and set out on a sound footing. Many new writers don't have that.

What they do have, though, is a burning desire to write, tell a story, learn, and grow.

So what is the happy medium? Can we writers get sufficient experience online in a manner that goes beyond tips, tricks, top 5 and how-to articles? On the level with what you get at a university?

Enter the Writer's Cabin.

When I think of a writer's cabin (the physical cabin in the woods), I imagine an author fed up with the distractions of a busy life, ready to focus on just the book and the book alone. It's a place where authors go to get serious about writing.

That's what I want the Writer's Cabin (the BHP one) to be. A digital space where writers can go to get away from the distractions of the web, the shallow mass content machine.

It's where writers can get serious about growing, improving and becoming a master at what they do. A place to discuss, understand writing topics on a deeper level and develop the confidence to make decisions about their novels that are right for them—do away with the fear and uncertainty that comes with querying, rejections, editing, and publishing.

That's the goal, anyway. But how can I accomplish it, you ask?

Well...over a long period, first off. For the moment, the Writer's Cabin is a blog—until the next step of the process is ready. But this blog is not a place to find how-tos, tips, and top-ways-to-do-blank lists. I already have a blog like that at FFF (sorta, more like brain rambles with decent SEO).

This blog is where I discuss—sometimes at length, sometimes only for a little while—things I have experienced in my career, opinions on the topics at hand, and what I think others can learn from them.

People may disagree, and that is a great thing. One of the many steps toward this lofty goal in my head is a forum for everyone and anyone to contribute their own thoughts.

But that is a ways away.

The closer we get to my next surprise, I will provide another update. For now, this is all I'm willing to say.

Until next time,

Tessa Barron, the editor.