by Ruth Harris According to the sublime Cole Porter lyric: Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it.Writers do it, too. Often. Collaborate, that is. Peter Staub and Stephen King paired up to write horror and dark fantasy in The Talisman. Their Black House is a Stoker Award winner. Joe Konrath, an […]
5 Protagonists Readers Hate: Why Writers Shouldn’t Identify too Closely with a Main Character
by Anne R. Allen You can learn all you want about writing powerful prose, well-planned story arcs, lyrical descriptions—or any other aspect of fiction—but if you don’t have a protagonist your readers care about, none of the rest matters.I don’t think it’s terribly relevant to talk about character “likability” in the sense of “niceness.” The […]
What is a Beta Reader? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Getting and Giving Feedback on your WIP
This week we’re proud to host author and editor Jami Gold, fresh from her role as a presenter at the RWA conference in San Antonio. If you missed the conference, Jami’s posts on the highlights of the annual Romance Writers Association event are fascinating. You’ll find them on her blog at JamiGold, Paranormal Author. Jami’s blog is […]
Why You Should Ignore Most Advice from your Critique Group…but They Can Help You Anyway
by Anne R. Allen I generally advise new writers to join a critique group or participate in writing workshops. Getting feedback on your own writing and discovering what works—and what doesn’t—in other writers’ WIPs provides an education you can’t get from simply reading craft books, blogs, or listening to lectures. And I’m not the […]
12 Dumb Things Writers do to Sidetrack Our Own Success
by Anne R. Allen We writers tend to be a delusional lot. Most of us know the average writer doesn’t make a bunch of money, but we secretly believe our own efforts will bring us fabulous fame and fortune. Or at least pay the rent. When we start out, we’re certain our books will […]
TOOLS OF THE (WRITER’S) TRADE: Lots of them FREE + reviews, how-to videos and cheat sheets.
by Ruth Harris Like plumbers and carpenters, architects and astronauts, cellists and golfers, writers need the right tools to help them get the job done. New tools appear constantly and many of them are FREE. Here is a round-up of current offerings. Word processors on steroids: MSWord is the industry standard, the app editors and […]
Thinking Outside the Book: When a Writing Dead End Becomes a Detour to Success
Today we’re excited to be hosting freelance writer Nina Badzin. I’ve known Nina since she started blogging and it’s been fantastic to watch her career soar. Nina was a compelling blogger from the time she wrote her first post. It was obvious she had tons of talent and skill. And her “query addiction” post […]
How Book Launches Have Changed in the Digital Age
by Anne R. Allen Most writers have been picturing it since we started scribbling ideas for our first novel. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel, the goal that keeps us slogging along, the Holy Grail of our writing journey— It’s your BIG BOOK LAUNCH PARTY!! We’ve watched the scene in so many […]
The New Golden Age of Short Fiction: 12 Reasons to Write a Short Story This Month
by Anne R. Allen I recently heard from a writer who said she felt disrespected by her writing group. They were all working on novels and memoir and didn’t take her short fiction work seriously.I saw another writer on Google Plus asking for help because his work kept coming in at around 40 pages—like that […]
10 Ways Pre-Published Writers Can Start Establishing Their Careers NOW
Today’s guest post is from freelance writer Sarah Allen (no relation that we know of, but we do have a lot of things in common, including the agreement that Colin Firth is THE greatest Mr. Darcy, and a tendency to knee-weakness at the sight of Benedict Cumberbatch’s cheekbones). She is still in the query […]
Is There a Place for the Slow Writer in the Digital Age?
by Anne R. Allen We live in a speed-obsessed culture. 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 turbo-charged drag race of the soul, hurtling our frenzied selves from cradle to grave, terrified of slowing for even a […]
From Pathetic to Professional: 8 Ways to Beat the First Draft Blues
by Ruth Harris You’re happy, even delirious. You’ve finished your first draft! Then you read it. OMG, you think, did I write that?Yes, you did. 🙂 It stinks. It sucks. It’s so rancid it threatens to warp the time-space continuum. Think you’re alone? Here’s Hugh Howey in a blog post: “I suck at writing. Watching a rough […]
Six More Pieces of Bad Advice for Writers to Ignore
by Anne R. Allen Two weeks ago I wrote a post listing some of the bad writing advice that can stand in the way of launching a successful publishing career. But I had too much to run in one post, plus I got some great suggestions from readers in the comments. So this week we have […]
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