Writing about writing. Mostly.
by Kathy Steinemann ’Tis the season to be thankful. November and December bring with them many opportunities to express gratitude: Veterans Day, World Kindness Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and more. Ziad K. Abdelnour said, “Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had.” Let’s consider a few things we can […]
Now authors can make DIY book covers with easy-to-use, drag-and-drop design apps by Ruth Harris In the early days of self-publishing, authors who didn’t know know coding had to hire formatters to make their books cyber-ready. Since then, formatting has become part of many writing programs. Word processors like MSWord, Scrivener and Pages will output […]
My metamorphosis into a Kafkaesqe bug by Anne R. Allen Yes. I’m back! A lot of readers have asked why I’ve been missing from the blog for the past five months, so I promised I’d detail my tale of woe when I returned. It’s kind of a long story. One that might have been written […]
Did you know you can make a decent income from freelance blogging? Blogging for money is a great way to add additional cash flow. The trick is finding good clients so it’s worth the effort. While not every website pays for guest posts, there are many brands and businesses that invest in blogging and pay […]
She was sixteen and I was nine. I was born and raised in Singapore, in a house where books did not have to jostle for space on the shelf. There was always room for another. Majority of the books were in English, and they comprised fiction and non-fiction while a handful were in Arabic, mostly […]
Does the idea of “branding” yourself or your work make you cringe? (I’m an artist, dammit—not a corporate sleaze bag!) Are you confused by what “branding” for novelists, essayists, poets, or even general non-fiction writers even means? Or, conversely, are you sold on the necessity of branding your writing and excited about the opportunity, but […]
By: Ruth Harris A Prince by any other name would still be a Prince. (I hope.) Meghan by any other name would still be a princess Ditto Diana. Lord or Lady. Peasant or serf. Professor or student. Beginner or expert. Titles orient us to where we are and what we should expect next. Doesn’t just […]
by Paul Dinas Once upon a time Publishing used to be a leisurely enterprise. Authors could submit their work directly to the “slush” pile. Editorial assistants would carefully sift through the submissions looking for books that could be turned into solid commercial properties. Submissions were sent in hard copy, and editors’ offices were piled high […]
By Becca Puglisi Successful stories are often ones whose elements are employed subtly. You may not be able to say exactly why they work, and as a reader, you probably don’t care; you just like the feeling of rightness that settles in as you read. Theme is one of those important elements that are quietly […]
Part of living in the now, right now, is being on all the time. Constant notifications about news, meetings, phone calls, texts, emails, gaming (if you’re into that), and of course, social media. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Watching my 21-year-old daughter checking her Apple Watch gives me hives, yet she loves it. Maybe […]
By Ruth Harris Q: How do you know you’re a “real writer?” A: Your back hurts. So do your shouders and neck. (And maybe your hands and wrists don’t feel so great, either.) Sorry about that—I truly am—but I’ve been there and I (literally) feel your pain. Not just the existential kind resulting from rejection […]
By Sue Coletta Historical true crime requires the writer to don a detective’s hat to unearth real details about the case(s), and the research can seem daunting at times. Historical fiction also demands that the writer get his/her facts straight. Today, I offer tips to help you find reliable source material, from which to build […]
by David Brown and Michelle Barker Have you ever had what you thought was a great idea for a novel, sat down and wrote madly for fifteen pages, and then it just… fizzled out? Or maybe you managed to make it through a whole novel on the energy of that one idea, but somehow it […]
