Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
Writing Success happens, but you need to leave Middle Earth, Hobbitses by Ruth Harris Whether we write Space Opera or Women’s Fiction, Romance or Thrillers, our job is fantasy. We make up characters, imagine lives we never led (Spy? Shifter? Wizard? Supermodel? Yarn shop owner? Billionaire? Serial killer?), go to places we’ve never travelled to […]
Writing guidelines can help us climb that “book mountain” by Ruth Harris A breath-taking article about a Polish team of mountaineers planning to climb K2 in the winter—a risky-to-the-max feat that has never been accomplished—reminded me that every book is K2, a mountain that has never been climbed. Like expert climbers, writers make progress step […]
Most authors start with practice novels. Some may be publishable…later. by Anne R. Allen We often hear stories about authors who have phenomenal success with a “first novel.” I’m sure most writers fantasize about being one of those success stories as we begin our careers. I sure did. But here’s what I didn’t know when […]
Writing career mistakes will happen, but these are some you can avoid. by Anne R. Allen Ruth and I like to say we made all the writing career mistakes so you don’t have to. I figure that I’ve collected nearly the full set of authorial faux pas since I embarked on a writing career. So today I’m […]
Rejection and failure make you think of quitting? Be like Thomas Edison instead. by Ruth Harris Rejection can make us want to cry and/or break things but rejection is almost never personal and often has nothing to do with your book, either. The sting of rejection can be bullied into submission with a can-do, eff-you […]
Giving a book reading? Here’s how to do it right! By Melodie Campbell It’s a fact: when I read from my work in public, I sell books. When I don’t read, I don’t sell. This may seem obvious. If you are not on the New York Times bestseller list, then many of the people in […]
by Anne R. Allen I first blogged about the plight of slow writers back in 2014, at the height of the indie publishing boom. All the indie superstar gurus were telling writers to grind out ebooks as fast as they could type to take advantage of the “Kindle Gold Rush”. Three years later, the Kindle […]
Burnout can hit the most motivated writers and Type A high-achievers by Ruth Harris We’re writers and we don’t need no lousy bosses to crack the whip. We can do it to ourselves–create the frazzle, the frustration, the deadlines, the endless to-do lists, negative feedback, and the conviction that we’re not doing enough fast enough. […]
Stress or burnout? Writers can suffer from both. by Ruth Harris Look at your to-do list. WiP needs edits and revisions Editor/cover designer to hire Promo forms to fill out First draft to finish Get that new book/new series ready to launch The next-to-final draft need polishing Backlist covers need a refresh A box set […]
Beta Readers aren’t editors or proofreaders, just thoughtful readers. by Anne R. Allen Most writers can benefit from the help of Beta Readers, whether we’re beginners or long-time professionals. So what’s a Beta Reader? The term first came from fan fiction, and it means a person who reads your Work-In-Progress (“WIP”) when you, the writer […]
Author blogs: Are you blogging for the right reasons? 5 Bad Reasons for Author Blogs 1) Getting Rich Quick Nothing infuriates me more than those books and blogs promising writers they can make a gazillion dollars of “passive income” with a blog in the next month if they take this overpriced course or buy that […]
How to get out of your own way and build resilience. By Ruth Harris Writers, they’re out there and they’re waiting for you. Inhibitions Hang ups Glitches Gotchas Snares and snags Roadblocks No go zones Flops and fizzles The reasons (excuses?) for not writing/not beginning (or finishing) your book/not allowing enough time and energy for […]
Writing rules, rejection & why to forget them and have some holiday fun! Ruth Harris joined this blog five and a half years ago with a wildly popular blogpost on rejection. Because she worked as editor at a couple of Big Five Houses as well as being a New York Times bestselling author, she knows […]
