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Colleen McCracken

Fantasy & Sci-fi Author

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Year: 2023

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5 Awesome Ambient Music Recommendations For Writers

colleenmccrackenDecember 11, 2023December 11, 2023

Music is a huge part of my writing process. As the daughter of two professional musicians, I grew up in

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Uncategorized

My take on the Nanowrimo situation

colleenmccrackenNovember 19, 2023November 19, 2023

So, there’s a dumpster fire happening, and as a very long-time participant in Nanowrimo and someone who has promoted the

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Writing Tips

How to start writing for the very first time

colleenmccrackenNovember 1, 2023May 18, 2025

I realized recently that most of the advice on this blog is geared towards people who’ve been writing for a

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Writing Tips

How to outline a novel, however you want

colleenmccrackenOctober 26, 2023October 26, 2023

I’ve wanted to do a post for a while about my outlining method, but I keep running into a problem.

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Writing Tips

How to write a sequel (without getting overwhelmed)

colleenmccrackenOctober 12, 2023October 11, 2023

Happy Preptober! It’s officially Nanowrimo Prep season, and I’ve got some fun stuff planned this month as we approach what

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Writing Tips

Underwriting vs. Overwriting: How to make it through a novel when your brain only wants to write half

colleenmccrackenJuly 19, 2023October 11, 2023

Do you ever write a draft and then look back at it and realize that you did not in fact

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Writing Tips

How to prepare for revising a novel

colleenmccrackenJuly 3, 2023May 18, 2025

It’s July, which means it’s time for Camp Nanowrimo! This month I’m attempting to add at least 30,000 words to

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Writing Tips

How to write good symbolism

colleenmccrackenMay 14, 2023October 11, 2023

I’ve been thinking a lot about symbolism lately, mainly because I’ve read, watched, or played a couple of things recently

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Writing Tips

4 more tips for writing realistic sci-fi technology

colleenmccrackenMarch 19, 2023October 11, 2023

Many moons ago, I did a post on ways to make your sci-fi technology more realistic. My day job is

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Writing Tips

Goal setting for people who hate goals

colleenmccrackenJanuary 1, 2023October 11, 2023

Happy new year! And happy New Year’s resolution season to those who celebrate. I, for one, do not. But this

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About Me

Hi, I'm Helen! I write fantasy and sci-fi under the pen name Colleen McCracken. I'm a bookworm and literary analysis junkie from the Pacific Northwest heading down the road toward publication, and sharing advice, analysis, and updates along the way. My debut fantasy novel, Hunter of Seals, comes out October 28th, 2025!

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Recent Posts

  • Hunter of Seals is AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!
  • Big HUNTER OF SEALS Update: Cover reveal, release date, & ARC signups are live!
  • So you need to pick an editor… now what?
  • So you got some feedback… now what?
  • The magic and terror of sharing your writing

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