Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
Clueless comments are guaranteed to drive a writer crazy by Ruth Harris Anne and Ruth are proud to host the first public release of the groundbreaking study devised and conducted by the eminent neuroscientist, Einstein Fitzhemingway, MD, PhD, PfffT, and DuH. Peer reviewed under the auspices of the prestigious research institute, VonShtupp, Dummkopf, Putz und […]
Choosing the right font takes skill by Jessica Bell A good designer will know exactly what style of font suits your design and genre, but if you intend to design your book covers yourself, there are some things worth knowing about fonts before you get started. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen covers on which you […]
Bad critiquing can pop somebody’s bubble without being helpful by Anne R. Allen I often advise new writers to look for a critique group to help them learn the writing ropes and get free feedback as well as the support they need when starting on a writing journey. But critique groups vary widely and some […]
A microfiction contest can be an alternative to novel writing in November by Amber Byers November is here, and many writers have jumped into National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), an international writing event in which writers challenge themselves to write an entire book, or 50,000 words, in the month of November. As anyone who has […]
by Ruth Harris I wrote this post on writing a great first sentence as a companion-piece to Anne’s recent post on writing a great first chapter. With apologies to Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged, at least by writers and certainly by agents and editors, that no matter what genre, your first […]
by Sue Coletta When the buzz of TikTok started spreading, I wanted no part of it. With two Facebook accounts, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Goodreads, etc. the last thing I needed was another social media site. I could barely juggle the audience I’d amassed on social media over the last twelve years. Then I […]
Tropes of “the Other Woman” are as old as Lilith by Anne R. Allen In a workshop recently, I was gobsmacked when one writer criticized another for using a story element that’s much loved in women’s fiction. It’s the one where the heroine discovers she’s the “other woman” in her man’s life, when she thought […]
by James Scott Bell When I started to teach writing in the late 90s, I channeled my inner Charlton Heston and announced 10 Commandments for Writers. A cheeky thing to do, I admit. But when I reviewed them recently, I found I wouldn’t change one of them. So here they are, with attached comment. 1) […]
by Anne R. Allen Writers know the opening chapter of a book is the most important. That’s when we grab a reader who’s browsing in a bookstore or clicking on the “look inside” function for online retailers — and persuade him to reach for that wallet and buy the book. A new writer can […]
Stalled first draft? Make plans for a new setting. by Ruth Harris Home is where the heart is. Or is it? Home sweet home. Or is it? You can’t go home again. Or can you? You can go from: Shirley Jackson’s spooky Hill House to the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas — The Rosemary’s Baby […]
by Anne R. Allen In her 1990 book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron warns creatives about crazymakers, the people who have no respect for your work and dominate your time with endless drama. But crazymakers aren’t the only people who can hurt your chances of having a successful creative career. There are a lot of […]
by Becca Puglisi “Conflict in Every Scene” We’ve all heard this advice, and for good reason. Your protagonist has a goal—hopefully, an audacious and high-stakes goal that is difficult to achieve. “Difficult” is important. It’s one of the qualities of a highly engaging story because the harder the goal is to reach, the less certainty […]
Write a short story–with advice from the creator of Narnia by Jim Denney When we think of short stories, we think of names like Poe, Chekhov, and Hemingway. But can you name your favorite C. S. Lewis short story? Probably not. Lewis is famed and beloved for The Chronicles of Narnia, but few readers are […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris