Writing about writing. Mostly.
Writing Success happens, but you need to leave Middle Earth, Hobbitses by Ruth Harris Whether we write Space Opera or Women’s Fiction, Romance or Thrillers, our job is fantasy. We make up characters, imagine lives we never led (Spy? Shifter? Wizard? Supermodel? Yarn shop owner? Billionaire? Serial killer?), go to places we’ve never travelled to […]
Blogging can open up many career paths for writers by Anne R. Allen Most people who choose a career in writing first imagine ourselves as novelists or memoirists, not nonfiction writers. But these days, writers, even novelists, can’t just write books. We need to start “A Multi-Media Author Business.” And that involves writing a lot of […]
Filter words act like a veil between the reader and the character by Kathy Steinemann This article provides a list of writing filters, with practical examples of how to replace them. You’ll also find exercises that can double as story prompts. All words exist for a reason. Use them wisely to create engaging narrative. Why […]
Hiring an editor too soon wastes time and money. by Anne R. Allen Learning to write books is hard. Earning money from books is even harder. So some writers figure they’ll bypass the expensive stuff like hiring an editor. This is not a good idea if you’re planning to self-publish. We are all blind to […]
Writing guidelines can help us climb that “book mountain” by Ruth Harris A breath-taking article about a Polish team of mountaineers planning to climb K2 in the winter—a risky-to-the-max feat that has never been accomplished—reminded me that every book is K2, a mountain that has never been climbed. Like expert climbers, writers make progress step […]
Most authors start with practice novels. Some may be publishable…later. by Anne R. Allen We often hear stories about authors who have phenomenal success with a “first novel.” I’m sure most writers fantasize about being one of those success stories as we begin our careers. I sure did. But here’s what I didn’t know when […]
Author Strategy? You mean there’s a strategy to this? by Carmen Amato I’m not sure what I was thinking of when I chose this quote from Louisa May Alcott to adorn my high school year book picture: “Far away there in the sunshine sat my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can […]
Writing career mistakes will happen, but these are some you can avoid. by Anne R. Allen Ruth and I like to say we made all the writing career mistakes so you don’t have to. I figure that I’ve collected nearly the full set of authorial faux pas since I embarked on a writing career. So today I’m […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris