Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris

Writing about writing. Mostly.

  • Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • Ruth Harris
    • Anne R. Allen
    • Shirley S. Allen
  • Archives
  • Books
    • Books by Anne R. Allen
    • Books by Ruth Harris
  • Guest Bloggers
  • Contact
  • How To Get Your Book Published
  • Resources For Writers

February 27, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 34 Comments

Crave Rejection? 7 Never-Fail, 100% Guaranteed Tips for Raising your R-Score.

Crave Rejection? 7 Never-Fail, 100% Guaranteed Tips for Raising your R-Score.

by Ruth Harris Here are Some Pro Tips And Tricks To Absolutely, Positively Raise Your Anemic R-Score. Are you embarrassed by your pathetic R-quotient? Do other writers sneer at your R-score? Has your pile of rejection letters stalled out? Have your R-levels been diagnosed as too low? Has too much time gone by since your […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection, Writing Craft Tagged With: How to be Regected, Husband Training School, Ruth Harris

February 6, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 102 Comments

10 Dangerous Critiques: Beware Misguided Writing Advice

10 Dangerous Critiques: Beware Misguided Writing Advice

Dangerous Critiques can Turn Your WIP into a Jackalope by Anne R. Allen One of the most damaging things a new writer can do is try to please everybody who beta-reads or critiques  their WIP.  I’ve seen a novel turned into a kind of jackalope of unrelated parts. If you tend to be a “people […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: Anne R. Allen

November 7, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 56 Comments

Afraid to Call Yourself a Writer? You May Suffer from a Creativity Wound

Afraid to Call Yourself a Writer? You May Suffer from a Creativity Wound

by Anne R. Allen Early in my writing career, I wrote in secret — and hardly ever finished anything. If I got to the point where I could write “the end” on a piece, I’d bury it in a drawer. I was incapable of writing a whole novel. I always stopped after the first 40 […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Creative wounds, critique group pitfalls, Ghostwriters in the Sky, NaNoREADMo

July 4, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 92 Comments

Writers, Do You Have Unsupportive Friends and Family? You’re Not Alone.

Writers, Do You Have Unsupportive Friends and Family? You’re Not Alone.

Unsupportive friends and family can make us feel separated from the world. by Anne R. Allen I’m always amazed at how many people I know — friends who would go out of their way to help me physically — cannot say one supportive thing about my writing. Some even ask for one of my books […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Ghostwriters in the Sky, Unsupportive Family, Writing Groups

June 27, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 32 Comments

How to be an Everyday Star: Lessons From 4 Famous Authors

How to be an Everyday Star: Lessons From 4 Famous Authors

by Ruth Harris What can we learn from authors who have gone from obscurity to success? The Everyday Star Are you dreaming of being a *superstar* like Stephen King or Nora Roberts? Really? Think about it. How realistic is it to imagine that you, too, can be SK or NR? Do you have any idea […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: Barbara Delinski, Everyday Star, Harlan Coben, John Le Carre, Lawrence Block, Ruth Harris, The Big Six-ho

March 21, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 22 Comments

Three Things Your Query Letter Needs to Stand Out

Three Things Your Query Letter Needs to Stand Out

Today we have a guest post on writing a query letter from literary agent Lucinda Halpern. I realize many of our readers are indie authors or plan to publish independently. But these rules are important for any kind of query: to a reviewer, editor or blogger as well. by Lucinda Halpern Writers put so much love and […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Publishing Business, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: how to query a literary agent, Lucinda Halpern, query letter

January 31, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 57 Comments

We’ve Got Mail—Nice, Nasty, and Just Plain Nutty. Writers Review Readers.

We’ve Got Mail—Nice, Nasty, and Just Plain Nutty. Writers Review Readers.

by Ruth Harris My encounters with reader mail go back a long way. My first job as a very young editor at Bantam included slogging through the slush pile and answering reader mail. No internet or email those days. Everything was done the old fashioned way — by hand. I’ve written before about my adventures in […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: Park Avenue Blondes, reader feedback, Ruth Harris

December 13, 2020 By Anne R. Allen 28 Comments

How Not to Take Critiques Personally

How Not to Take Critiques Personally

  by Christine Carron Getting your work critiqued can be transformative. Most of us have probably experienced deep gratitude when a fellow writer shares an insight that allows us to see a weakness that we were too close to see on our own. Something that, once we act on it, transports our story to a […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: Christine Carron, critique groups and criticism, The Critique MD

June 21, 2020 By Anne R. Allen 59 Comments

You Got Your First Bad Review: Congratulations!

You Got Your First Bad Review: Congratulations!

by Anne R. Allen I’m not sure anything stings as much as that first bad review. You’re riding high in triumph. You finished the project that may have taken decades to complete. Then you survived the crushing editing/ querying/ rejections/ revising/ editing again process. But now you’re finally a published author. Yay! Whether the publisher […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: author self-care, bad reviews, The Camilla Randall Mysteries

May 3, 2020 By Anne R. Allen 46 Comments

4 Newbie Writer Mistakes that can Derail a Great Book Idea

4 Newbie Writer Mistakes that can Derail a Great Book Idea

Newbie writers should protect fledgling ideas.  by Anne R. Allen You’ve got a fantastic idea for a novel. It’s been hanging around for quite a while, knocking inside your noggin. The idea keeps saying, “Let me out! Release me! Put me in a book!” Maybe there’s a scene in your head that plays like a […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection, Writing Craft Tagged With: advice for new writers, Anne R. Allen, How to Be a Writer in the E-Age, newbie advice

March 22, 2020 By Anne R. Allen 60 Comments

Amazon’s Review Rules Have Become Even Stricter in 2020

Amazon’s Review Rules Have Become Even Stricter in 2020

Amazon’s review rules are enforced by robocops. by Anne R. Allen One of the things we can do when we’re hunkered down at home during the pandemic is read books. And after we finish something, it’s helpful to other readers and authors if we write a review. (Good karma, too. 🙂 )  But that review […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: Amazon reviews, Book Reviews, buying reviews, Review trading, Scribd Free Month, Sherwood Ltd.

March 1, 2020 By Anne R. Allen 97 Comments

Clueless Advice People Give New Writers: 10 Things to Ignore

Clueless Advice People Give New Writers: 10 Things to Ignore

Clueless advice abounds. Everybody’s an expert. by Anne R. Allen I’m always amazed at the people who start giving me advice as soon as they hear I’m a writer. Even though I’ve been published for over 30 years, they’re always sure they know more than I do. And it’s worse for new writers. They’re bombarded […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection Tagged With: advice for new writers, advice for writers, Googling Old Boyfriends

February 23, 2020 By Anne R. Allen 46 Comments

5 Common Mental Traps That Stand Between You and Writing Success

5 Common Mental Traps That Stand Between You and Writing Success

5 common mental traps: how to ID them, how to fight back by Ruth Harris Last week Anne wrote about scams and scammers — the enemies out there ready to pounce on unwary writers. This week I want to follow up with some words about the enemies within — the traps writers set for themselves. Traps […]

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • More
  • Print
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Telegram
  • Skype

Filed Under: Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection, Writing Craft Tagged With: Husbands and Lovers, Mental traps, Ruth Harris

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 7
  • Next Page »
Subscribe
Subscribe now and receive our weekly blog!
100% Privacy. We don't spam.

Anne's Latest Book

Googling Old Boyfriends

Googling Old Boyfriends
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle

Ruth's Latest Book

The Big Six-Oh!

The Big Six-Oh!
Buy from Google Play
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook
Buy from Amazon Kindle

Follow Anne

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Follow Ruth

  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Follow Anne Here

Follow Anne Here

Follow Ruth Here

Follow Ruth Here
writers digest 101 best websites for writers award

Anne R. AllenAnne R. Allen writes funny mysteries and how-to-books for writers. She also writes poetry and short stories on occasion. She’s a contributor to Writer’s Digest and the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market.

Her bestselling Camilla Randall Mystery Series features perennially down-on-her-luck former socialite Camilla Randall—who is a magnet for murder, mayhem and Mr. Wrong, but always solves the mystery in her quirky, but oh-so-polite way.

Ruth Harris NYT best selling authorRuth is a million-copy New York Times bestselling author, Romantic Times award winner, former Big 5 editor, publisher, and news junkie.

Her emotional, entertaining women’s fiction and critically praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club.

The best SEO books of all time

50 Kickass Resources

50 Kickass Resources

Thanks, Author Marketing Resources!

The best Blogging books of all time

Visit Anne’s Book Blog

Visit Anne’s Book Blog

Follow Anne

Follow Anne

Categories

Best Writing Blogs in 2018

Best Writing Blogs in 2018

Top 50 Writing Blogs

Top 30 Websites for Indies


Top 30 Websites for Indies

Thanks, AME!

Annual Bloggers Bash Awards Nominee Best Blogging Writing Blog

Annual Bloggers Bash Awards Nominee Best Blogging Writing Blog
  • Privacy Policy

This site is designed and maintained by:

This site is designed and maintained by:
Subscribe
Subscribe now and receive our weekly blog!
100% Privacy. We don't spam.
Tweets by @annerallen

RSS Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris

  • Wanna Be a Paperback Writer? The Scoop on Writing Series Books! May 15, 2022 Anne R. Allen
  • About
  • Books by Anne R. Allen
  • Books by Ruth Harris
  • Shirley S. Allen
  • Guest Bloggers
  • HOW TO GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 · Site Created and Maintained by Bakerview Consulting

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.