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Letters From Libby James

I help writers strengthen their writing and creative practice, navigate the publishing world, and turn their art into an act of rebellion.

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When Stories Wear New Skin

The adaptation for The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke was one of the times I felt the film version more so than the book. I liked the book a lot when I read it 25 years ago, but I didn’t have that kind of love loss for another handful of years. I finally watched the film not too long after my own big heartbreak in my early 20’s, and I thought, Yes Mark Webber, that is exactly what I feel. Exactly. I reread Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel again recently. This is one of my favorite books...
a woman standing in front of a group of people

You’re Going to Embarrass Yourself in This Business

Let’s get this out of the way: you will embarrass yourself. It’s part of the deal we make as creatives with the universe. Putting our art out there is putting ourselves out there. Since we’re in this together, I’ll go first and tell you about some of my embarrassing moments in the writing world: I misspelled a word on the back cover of my novel. Sure, it was spelled correctly in British English, but the book was about the American Civil War. Not my proudest moment as a writer or editor. The...
A person standing on top of a hill with a dog

On my own with my art

When I was first on my own again, living alone after fourteen years, I worried I wouldn’t like my own company anymore. How would I fill the hours with my art if I couldn’t be alone in the silence? Once upon a time, I adored solitude. But now, I wasn’t sure. In that fear, I sat with a deeper question: how would I fall in love with this jaded, middle-aged artist I’ve become? And who was that girl I used to be? The lyrics to Miley Cyrus’s Used to Be Young still taunt me, like a reprimand I can’t...
glass window with brown frames

Rebranding and the Shift in How I See Challenges

January 10, 2025 I didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to rebuild, not just my life, which I am doing after becoming unmarried, but my writer brand. Back in May, I wrote ya’ll I was quitting the writer life. I stupidly cancelled all my editing clients, said see-ya to The Rebel Newsletter, closed my website, and bounced. Six months later I was desperately missing being a part of the creative world, my newsletter, my writing clients –I longed to talk about the creative process and books...
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These Fiction Books Will Help You Write Better

Why did you receive this email? At one point you subscribed to The Rebel Newsletter. I have rebranded. Some of the best lessons I have learned about creative writing have come from reading. From when I was young, I have collected my favorite quotes and even whole sections from books into a little notebook. There is something about physically writing down their words that make me feel closer to the craft, like I am stealing a piece of their genius. I believe it has made me a stronger writer....
A lit candle sitting in front of a window

I’ve been thinking about why I’m not showing up for my art

January 3, 2025 Last month, I set a creative goal at my accountability group: 40 pages a month. It was bold, but it was clear, and it felt like the kind of goal that could get me closer to finishing my novel. And I failed. Like, spectacularly failed. Didn’t come close. Barely glanced at it over the month. Epic-level failure. At first, I wanted to chalk it up to the usual suspects: the holidays, the chaos of divorce, the to-do lists, the excuses blah blah blah. But then, in a quieter moment, a...
A book shelf with a lamp on top of it

The Curiosity of Creativity

December 27, 2024 I’ve always been a curious person. I find people interesting. I’m a writer, an archivist of stories. I ask a lot of follow-up questions. This has gotten me into situations with people in the past who assume my questions are because I have romantic intentions instead of just establishing a character profile, exploring the climactic moment, finding the base plot of their story. Yes, I’ve gotten into that jam several times in my life, but as an adult, with significant lived...
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A Christmas Treat for Writers: My Top Favorite Free Resources

It’s Christmas Eve, and I wanted to take a moment to send you something special for your creative journey. In my weekly newsletter, Letters From Libby James, I try to fill it with inspiration, tips, and resources to help you grow as a writer. Today, I’m sharing some of the best free tools out there, along with a few of my own, to support you in your writing goals. 🎁 Free Resources for You From Me: My MFA Alternative Guide A step-by-step document to build your own writing education without the...
a vision board

What a Broken Marriage Taught Me About Perfect Foreshadowing

December 20, 2024 For years, my (now ex) husband and I made vision boards together. If you aren’t familiar with the concept, a vision board is essentially a collage of images, words, and symbols that represent your goals, dreams, and aspirations. It’s a way to manifest the life you want by visualizing it every day. Our boards were filled with shared dreams—vacations we wanted to take, milestones we wanted to reach, and the kind of life we imagined for ourselves. Every so often, we’d sit down...
an old fashioned typewriter sitting on a wooden table

Letting my life rewrite my fiction

December 6, 2024 (This letter contains minor spoilers from my current project. Although I don’t think it will change your experience if you ever read it, you’ve been warned) In the novel I've been working on for the past two years, when we are first introduced to one of the characters, we learn he has recently cheated on his wife. In the original ending, she forgives him. When I found out my husband had been carrying on an affair, again, for years, a great many things had to change,...

I help writers strengthen their writing and creative practice, navigate the publishing world, and turn their art into an act of rebellion.