This week on my Substack, I’m sharing how I use school visits to empower kids to create! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/meeting-to...

It's time for my monthly roundup of things I've enjoyed lately! What were your favorites in the month of May? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

This week, I’m meditating on my various “drawer books”—the manuscripts that likely won’t ever reach bookshelves. Most authors have at least a couple—and many authors have a lot! Chime in with your favorite piece of your own writing that didn’t make it? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-books-...

Sometimes it’s hard to celebrate little successes as they’re happening. What are you happy with or proud of right now? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/when-progr...

Have you ever tried to rework an old creative project into a totally new format? (Note that, despite the teaser art, I am *not* the author of the amazing Narwhal and Jelly books…) kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/same-story...

I’ve been exhausted and burned out lately, and I know I’m probably not alone there. So today, I’m thinking about what it means to take a step back and do less. Are you in the same boat? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/do-less

It's time for my monthly roundup of things I've enjoyed lately! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

When was the last time you experienced genuine magic? (Was it in a book?) kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/making-magic

It's once again time for my monthly roundup of stuff I've enjoyed lately! What were your favorites in March? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

How do you build a creative routine that works for you—and are you able to adapt when the routine goes out the window? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/craving-ro...

Talking craft over on my Substack today: how can you develop your story's supporting characters? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/are-your-s...

A question from a sixth-grader at a school visit this week got me thinking about the importance of building an author community: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-case-f...

It's time for my monthly roundup of stuff I've enjoyed lately—and in honor of my daughter's school Read-a-thon, I made February's post entirely bookish! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

How do you get your ideas in order before you begin to create? When I talk to kids, I compare this process to gathering and organizing your ingredients before you start to cook. Read more on my Substack: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/gather-you...

It's Friday the 13th! Maybe, for good luck, we should reminisce about THE THIRTEENTH CIRCLE? 😉 Also, I'd like to give away a few paperback copies to school libraries/classrooms in grades 4-8, so click through and spread the word! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/happy-frid...

Do you have a hard time starting something completely new from scratch? How do you get past the difficult, uncertain part to find your groove? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/starting-s...

Sharing my monthly roundup of things I’ve enjoyed lately—which today, happens to be all books! Plus, please donate to the Publishing for Minnesota fundraiser, which is live until 11:45pm tonight (1/30)! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

As you read, do you consider what the author is doing to make you feel or respond a certain way? Especially if you’re a writer, I highly recommend occasionally slowing down to figure out what’s making a story tick! Here are some things you might notice: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/how-did-th...

I had eye surgery last week, the latest in a series of procedures that started in 2023. So this week, I’m meditating on “seeing clearly”—both literally and as it relates to my creative work: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/i-can-see-...

Do you set an intention by picking a Word of the Year? Here’s what I chose for 2026. (And yes, I’m choosing to keep the hilarious crop on the preview photo, because “screeching cat” also feels incredibly relevant for the state of the world right now…): kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/happy-new-...

It's time to share my top ten reads of 2025! What were your favorite books you read this year? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/here-are-m...

I like to set a word of the year as my intention each January. Today, I’m taking a look at how well I did, focusing on this year’s word: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/reflection...

It's gift-giving season! Here's a roundup of all of my published books, in case a young reader in your life might enjoy them: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/its-gift-g...

If you’re buying books this Black Friday, I’ve got a few recommendations for you in this month’s Substack Roundup! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

This week on my Substack, I'm talking about writing (and feeling) big feelings: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/big-feelings

The creative process is not linear, and that's okay: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/just-keep-...

I'm officially in the momentum phase of revision! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/all-i-wann...

It's time for my monthly Roundup of things I've enjoyed lately, over on Substack! Somehow, I managed to spend spooky season reading nothing but romance novels... ;) kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the…

This week on my Substack, I'm thinking about that beautiful creative space before the "nos" start rolling in... kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-time-b...

Book revisions are messy and mysterious. This week, a seemingly surface-level block led me to uncover a much deeper character issue. Has this happened to you? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-root-o...

I’m in revision-mode this fall, so this week my post is all about getting organized to tackle revision notes! How do you set yourself up for revision success? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/lets-talk-...

It's time for my roundup of things I loved in September! Featuring books by @lancerubinparty.bsky.social and @neddalewersbooks.bsky.social—and a call for cozy fall/Halloween recs: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

How do you measure success when it comes to your creative pursuits? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/celebratin...

When you read, do you pay attention to what’s working for you, and why? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/reading-li...

It's been a bit, but here's my latest roundup of things I've loved lately—featuring books by @laurenmagaziner.bsky.social, @jandynelson.bsky.social, and more! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

New on my Substack: the books, movies, and treats I loved most in July: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

It's time for my monthly Substack roundup of things I've loved recently! What are your favorites from June? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

It’s time for my monthly roundup of Stuff I’ve Loved Lately! Featuring some amazing books—and some amazing writing views. kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

My work life is about to get pretty busy, so I'll be a little less present on Substack this summer. (Rest assured, I'm still hard at work on my fiction projects!) kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/summer-swi...

In my decades as a dance journalist, I've conducted a *lot* of interviews—and I've found certain interview tactics to be helpful to me as a fiction-writer, as well. More here: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

I've been a magazine writer for 20 years, and I've gained a lot of skills that help me in fiction-writing, as well! This month on my Substack, I'm going to talk about some of those tools: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/make-every...

It’s time for my roundup of things I’ve enjoyed in April! kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

On break-weeks and turning points: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/spring-break

I took on a new challenge this week. When's the last time you pushed yourself to try something you've never done before? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/in-praise-...

Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out by *gestures* everything these days? Here's a tactic I've been working on since having eye surgery last summer. Maybe it will help you, too. kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/focus-on-s...

It's time for my monthly Roundup of things I've enjoyed recently! What are the books/shows/songs/treats you loved in March? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...

I finished a first draft of something totally new this week! And then I made myself take a few days off. Do you let yourself (or force yourself to) take a break after a big creative push? kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/take-a-break

Closing in on a completed first-draft over here... kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/finish-it-...

I did a workshop for some tween readers this week, and they got me thinking about how the creative process will look different for different people. (They also got me thinking about how zombies and mermaids might coexist in the same story…) kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/no-wrong-a...

It's an all-book edition of The Roundup over on my Substack today, featuring some excellent middle-grade stories, a fun audiobook romance novel, and my kiddo's current favorite graphic novel series: kathrynholmes.substack.com/p/the-roundu...