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July 31, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 38 Comments

Is Decision Fatigue Standing Between You and Writing Success?

Is Decision Fatigue Standing Between You and Writing Success?

by Ruth Harris Decisions, decisions. Steak or salmon? Red or white? Wash the car or mow the lawn? Weights or barre class? Do the laundry or empty the dishwasher? Mustard or mayo? Petunias or pansies? Cheddar or Swiss? So what? What’s the big deal? Why are you wasting my time with stupid questions? I’ve got […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: creativity, decision fatigue, Diamonds Are For Now, mental health for writers, Ruth Harris, Writers block

July 10, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 54 Comments

10 Things Beginning Writers Should do Before Trying to Publish a Book

10 Things Beginning Writers Should do Before Trying to Publish a Book

by Anne R. Allen Here’s more about the mistakes I made so you don’t have to. If I had worked harder on these things instead of doggedly piling up wordcount without having a clue what I was doing, I’d have saved myself a lot of time and heartbreak on my road to publication. 1) Come […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life Tagged With: Academic Body, advice for new writers, Dr. Shirley S. Allen, Tips for new writers

July 3, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 67 Comments

Internet Trolls, Bullies, and the Chronically Offended — How Should an Author Deal with Them?

Internet Trolls, Bullies, and the Chronically Offended — How Should an Author Deal with Them?

  by Anne R. Allen Internet trolls and other masters of malice we meet on the Web can ruin a writing day — and even a career. We all know we shouldn’t “feed” the trolls, but that’s easier said than done. Especially if the trolls are telling lies about you or attacking your readers and […]

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Filed Under: Scams and Alerts for Writers, The Writing Life Tagged With: chronically offended community, Internet trolls, online bullying, So Much for Buckingham

June 26, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 37 Comments

Listmania–How Lists Can Make Your Writing Faster and Easier

Listmania–How Lists Can Make Your Writing Faster and Easier

by Ruth Harris Lists will make writing your book faster and easier — and bail you out when you get stuck. Lists. Grocery lists. Laundry lists. To do lists. Playlists. Witness lists Bucket lists. Wait lists Watch lists Lists run our lives. Lists keep us on track. Lists keep things simple. Lists make things clear. […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Book planning for pantsers, Diamonds Are For Now, Free ARC, Ruth Harris

April 24, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 25 Comments

Tips and Tweaks for Finishing the Half-Baked Book. With Recipes.

Tips and Tweaks for Finishing the Half-Baked Book. With Recipes.

by Ruth Harris Why is cooking — often? usually? sometimes? — more appealing than writing? *Even if you’re only a halfway decent cook, just about everyone will eat and enjoy what you made — and tell you so. * If you’re only a halfway decent writer, no one will enjoy what you wrote — or will […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: finish your manuscript, Park Avenue Blondes, Ruth Harris

April 17, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 53 Comments

Why Every Writer Needs a Social Media Executor, NOW!

Why Every Writer Needs a Social Media Executor, NOW!

  by Anne R. Allen Social Media Executor? That may not be a term you’re familiar with, but believe me, you need one. That hit home for me this week after the tragic death of my friend, the kind, talented, funny author Barbara Silkstone. I hadn’t heard from her for a month or two, so […]

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Filed Under: E-Books and Technology for Writers, Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Writing Life Tagged With: Barbara Silkstone, Facebook memorial page, Social Media Executor, social media ghost, The Lady of the Lakewood Diner

March 27, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 35 Comments

The Three “R”s for Writers: Reference, Research and Resources—the World Beyond Google

The Three “R”s for Writers: Reference, Research and Resources—the World Beyond Google

by Ruth Harris How often should you water a cactus? What is the name of the president who came before Abraham Lincoln? How do you blow up a bridge? What’s so special about the Sydney opera house? What does SPECTRE stand for? In the course of writing a novel, a writer — one who will […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Husbands and Lovers, 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 […]

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

January 23, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 23 Comments

Is Writer’s Block a Thing?: The Writer’s Block Expose

Is Writer’s Block a Thing?: The Writer’s Block Expose

Writer’s block has hit a lot of us during the pandemic By William L. Hahn Other than a single flash piece before Christmas, I haven’t written a solitary word on my epic fantasy world in more than a year. And holy crow, do I need to. Not only do I have a complete, well-envisioned novel […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Harbingers of Hope, Lands of Hope, William L. Hahn, Writers block

December 26, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 33 Comments

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

from Ruth Harris   Anne and I wish happiness, health, and all the season’s blessings to our cherished readers and commenters. With the appearance of a new variant called Omicron, Covid has staged a resurgence. It feels to me as I write this from New York a few days before Christmas that we are living […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Ruth Harris

December 19, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 47 Comments

Let Your Crawdads Sing! Writers, Remember “Writing Rules” are only Guidelines

Let Your Crawdads Sing! Writers, Remember “Writing Rules” are only Guidelines

By Anne R. Allen Ruth and I write this blog to give back to the writing community we’ve lived and worked in for many decades. We offer warnings about scams, plus tips and helpful suggestions for writing fiction and creative nonfiction that contemporary readers will want to buy. We say “we made the mistakes so […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, The Camilla Randall Mysteries boxed set

December 12, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 23 Comments

Mr. McGuffin’s Christmas Carol

Mr. McGuffin’s Christmas Carol

A Romantic Hero from Mr McGuffin may be a bit vague by Tara Sparling It’s Christmas Eve in Mr. McGuffin’s Plot Device and Writer Unblocking Emporium, and the end of a very busy season indeed. Writers queued outside the shop for weeks to avail of Mr McGuffin’s festive offer of a discounted shock plot twist […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: Mr. McGuffin, Tara Sparling

December 5, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 42 Comments

How to tell a Story: The Rule of Three

How to tell a Story: The Rule of Three

by Anne R. Allen I love to listen to local storytelling events — the ones that mimic the NPR “Moth” Radio Hour stories. They’re popular again in this area after the long shut-down. People gather around to tell true stories about events they’ve experienced. Alcohol or caffeine may be involved. I say they “mimic” the […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: how to tell a story, Roxanna Brittom, Storytelling 101

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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.

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