Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
by Anne R. Allen Ruth Harris and I have both written about how there are no rigid rules for writing good fiction, only guidelines. Even guidelines don’t apply to everybody. Every genre has its own conventions. What is de rigeur for a romance can be deadly in a thriller. And what readers expect in a […]
by Anne R. Allen We live in a speed-obsessed civilization. Whatever it is we crave—cars, trains, electronics, food, dates—we want them ever-faster-and-furiouser. In fact, much of the developed world seems to be engaged some turbocharged drag race of the soul, hurtling our frenzied selves from cradle to grave, terrified of slowing for even a […]
Creativity wounds: the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism. by Anne R. Allen. A couple of weeks ago, Grant Faulkner, executive director of NaNoWriMo, wrote a short piece for Jane Friedman’s blog about what he calls “creativity wounds.” The post resonated with me. Oh, yeah, I know about creativity wounds! I have to admit that […]
Don’t let writing molehills become mountains: solve those microblocks and miniglitches! by Ruth Harris We’re not talking about soul-shredding writers’ block here or the kind of mega mess that requires major revision. Or professional editorial help. Or even a trip to the trash. Instead, I’m talking about the no-big-deal, pesky little hold ups and hang […]
Feeling like you’re not a real writer? Fight self-doubt with these books. by Janet Boyer What are the true enemies of writers—those monsters that haunt, harangue and harass? After twenty years of writing—the last decade spent as a traditionally-published non-fiction author and Amazon.com Hall of Fame Reviewer—I’ve chased down those #*@#$!% fiends and took names. […]
Ian Fleming worked as hard on marketing as today’s authors. by Ruth Harris. It’s not just today’s authors who work hard. Consider Ian Fleming. The Man With The Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming’s James Bond Letters is a collection by Fleming’s nephew of the author’s letters to his publisher, editors, colleagues, other writers, fans, readers, and friends. […]
Personality disorders can create a distorted self-image. by Anne R. Allen. Most of the truly rotten villains in fiction are what used to be called “psychopaths.” (Now clinically known as people with ASPD: Anti-Social Personality Disorder.) These are people who have no conscience and no empathy. But psychopaths can make boring fiction. Psychopathic villains have […]
by Dave Chesson. I’m a big believer in making the most of the time we have to write and getting the best possible output from it. After all, for most writers, time is the ultimate luxury. We can always experience ebbs and flows in sales or followers, but time is truly a finite resource. Once […]
by Ruth Harris I’ve been published for decades. Random House and Simon & Schuster paid me well to publish my books in hard cover and paperback. My books have sold millions of copies, been translated into 19 languages, and appeared on Amazon and NYTimes bestseller lists. Shouldn’t I know by now wtf I’m doing? Shouldn’t […]
I’m tired of book bloggers getting no respect. by Anne R. Allen The contempt some business people have for bloggers never ceases to amaze me. Every day I get emails demanding I do free work for companies that are obviously solvent enough to hire employees—so why do they imagine it’s okay to demand that bloggers […]
Writing scams are like old-time snake-oil elixirs. Beware the smooth-talking charlatan. by Anne R. Allen A couple of months ago I wrote about some of the weird writing scams that have been showing up in my email inbox. A number of my online author friends have since told me they’ve been getting them too. So […]
Fantasy is what keeps writers going… by Ruth Harris Does any of this sound familiar? Fantasy: Oodles of long, uninterrupted stretches of time in which to dream, think, imagine. Reality: Rewriting/revising/editing that *%$& chapter for the umpteenth time. Fantasy: A leisurely afternoon at a baseball game, or at the park, or relaxing in a hammock. […]
Yes! Traditional publishing is possible after self-publishing. by Eldonna Edwards I’d been writing a novel off-and-on for over a decade when life threw me one of those cosmic curveballs that sent me careening in a totally different direction. Actually, it was more like me running onto the field and catching a curveball between the eyes, […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris