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McKenzie Lynn Tozan
"Creative minds are rarely tidy." – John William Gardner

Category: Writing Challenges

Blog, My Poems, Writing Challenges

“Sleepwalker” & The Inspiration Behind It

  Happy Thursday, everyone! I’m arriving a tad late to the party again today, but I hope you each had a wonderful day, and I…

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Blog, My Poems, Writing Challenges

“I Remember Her Hair” & The Prompt That Led Me Here

  Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying your week. I’m doing things a little differently this week, writing poems every day, but in…

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Blog, My Poems, Writing Challenges

“Where It’s Gone” & The Prompt Behind It

  Hi everyone! Happy Tuesday! I’m doing things a little differently starting this week, sharing a poem and the writing prompt behind it (I’m back…

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Blog, Literary Scene, My Poems, Writing Challenges

My Dumb Heart

                  —To my fellow Benders, I threw on my grief.   MY DUMB HEART   is open wide and overflows with water. How I manage…

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Blog, My Writing Challenges, Writing Challenges

My 24-hour Crash-and-Burn and My 30/30 Project

Hi friends! April is only a few short days away, and I want to share a little about what I’m committing to in my own…

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Blog, Literary Scene, My Writing Challenges, Writing Challenges

National Poetry Month Goals!!

  Hi everyone! I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the first day of spring a little bit yesterday. It was about…

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Blog, Literary Scene, Writing Challenges

Poetic Donations! #poeticdonations

  Hi, all! The holidays are upon us, and for many of us, so is the winter chill (with or without the snow yet), and…

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Blog, Craft, My Poems, Writing Challenges

My Attempt at a Definition Poem while Reading Allan Peterson

  This is why I love reading: it opens so many doors. While reading Allan Peterson’s Precarious (published by 42 Miles Press, 2014), I began…

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I Think I Have a Reading Problem.
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#BookLoversofInstagram or Bust (well, #WritersofInstagram, too)

mckenzielynntozan

A week ago Sunday, I focused a LOT on self-care an A week ago Sunday, I focused a LOT on self-care and jumped into reading this book. 
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Have you read it? Did you like it? Did you get IT or 11/22/63 or FIRESTARTER vibes from it? 
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#bookstagram #bookloversofinstagram #booklover #amreading #selfcare #stephenking #theinstitute #horror
Warning signs in your living room that you MAY be Warning signs in your living room that you MAY be living with a writer... 

#bookstagram #writersofinstagram #poetsofinstagram #bookreviewer #amreading #amwriting #bookshelf #whatsonmybookshelf #floatingshelf
Does anyone else ever do this? No? Just me? 😄 Does anyone else ever do this? 
No? Just me? 😄

#amreading #bookstagram #bookloversofinstagram #writersofinstagram
There may be construction going on down the street There may be construction going on down the street, but a lady could get used to this! 😎
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A big balcony where the kids can play, a place to write, a strong-enough internet connection, and lovely, fall-like weather. 🧡 
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I have less than two weeks until my client's book is published, and then I have some of my own work to do that's been put off for FAR TOO LONG (like... querying agents for my debut novel and/or my YA series and/or two poetry chapbooks... 👀). 
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#Croatia #WAHM #Croatianwriter #internationalwriter #amwriting #amediting #dreamview #THATwriter #writersofinstagram #poetsofinstagram
Every year in September or early October, I feel t Every year in September or early October, I feel the same call: to go back and reread Annie Dillard's THE WRITING LIFE. (I read this book for the first time in my sophomore year of HIGH SCHOOL to give you an idea of how far back this tradition goes.) But it's become an integral part of my fall, almost like a welcoming home, and most certainly a readying for the winter that I'm never really ready for. 
#amreading #AnnieDillard #TheWritingLife #feelslikehome #memoir #craftwriting #fall #fallvibes #bookloversofinstagram #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #favoritebook #favoriteseason
Reading late tonight, including this incredible po Reading late tonight, including this incredible poem by Cameron Awkward-Rich. Enjoy.
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#MeditationsInAnEmergency #CameronAwkwardRich #amreading #poetry #poetsofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #bookstagram #poetrycommunity #poet
Good morning, friends! To start my day off on the Good morning, friends! To start my day off on the right foot, I'm having coffee and breakfast with my kiddos, and I wanted to share one of my latest successes: my first article with the Digital Nomad Writing Club.
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I am nowhere near 40, but I love articles that work as a bookend for a decade: what you should read to wrap up a decade, what you should read as you're preparing for the next one, etc.
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I also think there are some high quality titles here! What would you include on a list for someone turning 40? 
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LINK in the comments! Thank you for reading! 
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#DigitalNomadWritingClub #digitalnomad #nomad #freelance #freelancelife #momlife #booklist #bookstagram #writersofinstagram #reading #bookrecommendations #whattoreadnext #40 #40thbirthday
Hi friends! I haven't posted (again) in a while, t Hi friends! I haven't posted (again) in a while, thanks mostly to the times we're in... But I at least am here with fun news! 
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I've been working on and off on the first novel in my GIRL TO MOON series, and I've also been writing a series of short stories that I plan to publish as a collection early in the new year. 
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I'm planning to release one of these, "The Duplex," in anticipation of the full collection AND the new year, which follows a mother's grieving of her late husband and her child who has gone missing. But after a series of psychological turns and chilling bumps in the night, she begins to wonder if her child is really missing, and if there was really anyone to grieve at all...
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We all may miss trick-or-treating this year (I know I will), but this story is going to be available to read by the light of your creepy Black Flame Candle on Halloween night, with a few days and "ch-ch-ch-ch" and "ah-ah-ah-ah"s to spare. 🖤🎃📚
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More details coming spooky-soon...
#amwriting #shortstory #horror #psychologicalthriller #TheDuplex #mckenzielynntozan #Amazon #KDP #Halloween #scarystory #spooky
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