Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
By: Ruth Harris A Prince by any other name would still be a Prince. (I hope.) Meghan by any other name would still be a princess Ditto Diana. Lord or Lady. Peasant or serf. Professor or student. Beginner or expert. Titles orient us to where we are and what we should expect next. Doesn’t just […]
By Ruth Harris Q: How do you know you’re a “real writer?” A: Your back hurts. So do your shouders and neck. (And maybe your hands and wrists don’t feel so great, either.) Sorry about that—I truly am—but I’ve been there and I (literally) feel your pain. Not just the existential kind resulting from rejection […]
by Ruth Harris Fake it until you make it. It’s old advice, and for some people it works. Sometimes. But what if you’ve made it? You’ve finished your book (or books), you’ve been published or you self-published. You’ve sold copies, you’ve received checks from your agent, your publisher or from Amazon and iBooks, you’ve been […]
by Ruth Harris Male or female, good guys or bad girls, famous or infamous, VIPs are the Very Important Persons who go their own way, do their own thing, make their own rules and don’t give a damn about your plans, your ideas, or your outline. You create them but they have a life of […]
FROM MIKE TYSON TO ALBERT EINSTEIN: Why Writers Need To Goof Off And Space Out by Ruth Harris “Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth,” observed philosopher-pugilist, Mike Tyson. Not just boxers, Mike. Ditto for writers. Whether you’re a plotter or pantser, you start out with some kind of plan. […]
THE HAPPY HOOKER’S GUIDE TO THE ART AND CRAFT OF WRITING A PAGE TURNER by Ruth Harris “First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, then you do it for money.” Ralph Ellison said it. Or was that Virginia Woolf? Depends on who you ask, but no matter where you […]
by Ruth Harris With tongue firmly in cheek, Ruth Harris tells us what NOT to do in the coming year to further our writing careers. We both wish you the very best in 2016! If you’re a new commenter on the blog, you may have to wait for comment moderation. I apologize for that–we LOVE […]
by Ruth Harris It is a truth universally acknowledged that no writer ever knows when or where his/her next great idea will strike. Because of that inconvenient fact, notebooks are essential. Although the back of a grocery receipt or a dry cleaner’s ticket will do in an emergency, a notebook will help create order out […]
8 Bestselling Authors Share Tips and Tricks for Finding and Keeping Joy in Your Writing by Ruth Harris The Joy of Writing? During National Novel Writing Month? You’re kidding, right?A 55K word novel in a month?You’re fretting, nervous, sweaty. Performance anxiety in excelsis? Brain block? What brain? Writing should be fun and NaNo is […]
by Ruth Harris What’s a Style Sheet? Look, guys, I don’t want to freak you out but, if you’re writing a book (or a short story or a novella), you need a style sheet. If you plan to self-pub, a style sheet will save your sanity while you’re writing—and after because a style sheet will […]
Get Instant Relief Without Dangerous Drugs, Messy Creams Or Exhausting Exercise! by Ruth Harris Writers write—except when we’re staring into space or out the window, at a blank screen or an unfinished sentence.From first draft to final draft, we spend a lot of our time looking for help, info, inspiration. Which is why the right […]
by Ruth Harris As the Romans said (and the Olympics borrowed for its motto): Citius, Altius, Fortius. Or, as we say: “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” Sometimes publishing seems to be an Olympic event or at least it feels that way. Vroom. Vroom. Everyone wants to write faster. To publish more books. To keep up with/get ahead of […]
by Ruth Harris The muse (also referred to as intuition, instinct, the subconscious, a superpower, the Spidey sense) is generally a friendly and cooperative breed. By nature, the muse tends to be bright eyed, curious and energetic. However, ignored or poorly-treated the muse can be become depressed and mopey and will not function effectively. […]
