Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
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, […]
Alas, publishing is about the bottom line, not warm fuzzies and gold stars. by Anne R. Allen The biggest obstacle many new writers face in making the leap from beginning writer to professional author is accepting that publishing is a business. Newbie writers have often taken creative writing courses or read books that urge them […]
Saying goodbye to that WIP can be bittersweet.. by Anne R. Allen I’ve recently had discussions with several writers who have been pondering saying goodbye to that WIP they’ve been laboring at for years. All of them wanted to move on for different reasons. All of their reasons were valid. Unfortunately, the writers felt it […]
A visit from your muse: the gift you give yourself. by Ruth Harris “What The Subconscious is to every other man, in its creative aspect becomes, for writers, The Muse.” ~ Ray Bradbury What Ray Bradbury called the muse, Stephen King called the “guys in the basement.” Others call it the sixth sense, the Spidey […]
A creative writing teacher has to deal with a lot. By Melodie Campbell It all started in 1992. I’d won a couple of crime fiction awards, and the local college came calling. Did I want to come on faculty and teach in the writing program? Hell, yes! (Pass the scotch.) Over the years, I continued […]
Even if you have the writing talent of Lord Byron, you need these things. by Anne R. Allen I understand why new writers want to be reassured they have writing talent. They don’t want to embark on the long road to a writing career if they don’t have the chops. So I have sympathy with […]
Ruth and Anne wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2018. As Anne wrote earlier this month, you run into a lot of bogus information about writing in the Internet age. Other advice you run into can be helpful…but be wary of taking it all as gospel. Remember that rigid rules usually lead to […]
The first Christmas card was sent soon after Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was published. by Anne R. Allen As we approach the frantic season known as “The Holidays,” I always ask myself, “Why do we do it?” Why do I make fake snowdrifts around a dying tree in my sunny California living room and […]
Writing clichés are allowed at Christmastime, even welcomed! by Tara Sparling When it comes to Christmas, writers and writing are inextricably linked. The rites and rituals of the season are handed down from year to year through books, TV, movies, and song. But where are the festive songs about writers? I searched high and low, but […]
Even new writers need to keep an author bio on hand. By Anne R. Allen The author bio on your social media, blog or website is one of the most important things you’ll ever write, so you want to put some thought into it. It’s what’s going to define you for agents, readers, editors, journalists, […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris