Writing about writing. Mostly.
by Tracy Cooper-Posey For years, I thought I had a good system. Whenever one of my short stories was published—in a magazine, or an anthology—I would celebrate. Then, as soon as the rights reverted, and because I’m an indie author, I’d self-publish the story on the major retail platforms. I was making the same […]
by Yvonne Osborne You can’t blame a writer for what the characters say. – Truman Capote How important is the relationship between a writer and their character? What is the Zone? If you’re a writer, have you been there? If you’re a reader, have you? They are first-cousin related. Let’s go! What is the […]
Note: while Anne is dealing with some health issues, some friends of the blog have stepped up to keep the blog going. This week we have a fun post from one of our favorite authors, Melodie Campbell, “Canada’s Queen of Comedy.” by Melodie Campbell I like to get in the mood, when I’m reading. Here’s […]
by Anne R. Allen Guest blogging is still one of the best free book marketing strategies. Even though blogging has lost some of its luster, visits to some well-chosen blogs can get your book and name in front of a lot of eyeballs, and jumpstart your sales. But in order to land that guest […]
by Anne R. Allen It’s great for writers to make friends on social media. That’s why we’re there. Networking with other writers is essential to a writing career these days. But it’s good to be aware that, like people on the rest of the internet, writers on social media can be the source of […]
Don’t let dangerous critiques turn your novel into a Jackalope by Anne R. Allen This week’s post is an updated version of a post from 2022. I’ve recently seen a number of new writers complain about how difficult it is to please all their beta readers, especially when the readers disagree. So I thought it […]
by Anne R. Allen I was talking with a group of book-loving friends recently, several of whom work in bookstores, and they all lamented the “head-hopping” that has become common in adult bestsellers in the last few years. I agree that head-hopping seems to be everywhere these days. The last several novels I’ve read […]
Yes, you may need eggs, but that doesn’t mean these are chickens. by Anne R. Allen I’ve blogged often about the book publicity scammers who have been targeting writers in the past few months. The scammers are always on my mind because these crooks seem to think I’m their #1 fan. I get up to […]
by Liz Adams You know how you meet a gorgeous person and you want to ask the important questions right away but feel it’s not proper? Questions like: How many kids do you want? Are you allergic to cats? Will you promise to always be truthful except when I ask you if I look […]
Agatha Christie in 1910 By Melodie Campbell Some readers of Anne’s blog know that I taught fiction writing at college for over 30 years, going back to the early 90s. The dialogue below happened so often in class, I could phone it in. Me to adult male student: “There are no women in your book. […]
Does using the em dash mean you’re a robot? by Anne R. Allen Two weeks ago, we ran a guest post here from a South African entrepreneur named Dr. Jeremy Esekow. It was a thoughtful, balanced report on a contest his company had run with human vs. AI stories. I was not prepared for the […]
Guest Post by Becca Puglisi Fear is a powerful emotion. That makes it an incredibly potent storytelling tool. When characters feel threatened—physically, emotionally, or psychologically—the stakes go up, and suddenly, every choice, reaction, and perception matters. Fear taps into something primal, activating survival instincts in the character and empathy in the reader, creating an […]
GUEST POST by Jeremy Esekow A few months ago, my company, Storywise, ran a writing competition that felt slightly reckless, but completely necessary. We pitted humans against AI storytelling. I came into this from two very personal places. First, as an author. I’ve sent out countless query letters over the years. Most were met with […]
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