Writing about writing. Mostly.
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 […]
Twitter is important for authors, but not for direct sales. by Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) Twitter is a terrible selling channel… …if your goal is to spam your book links and hope for the best. Most writers write their book and then realize, oh hey, there are millions of potential readers just waiting to buy […]
Legitimate publishers, or scammy villains? How can you tell? by Anne R. Allen New writers have much to be wary of these days. New publishing scams are landing in writers’ inboxes faster than we can send out warnings. Probably the most dangerous predators for the newbie writer are phony publishers, because they can shatter dreams as […]
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 […]
Self-publish fiction successfully by ignoring the trad-pub rules. by Anne R. Allen I wrote a post a few weeks ago that some people found discouraging. I pointed out that a number of changes, especially at Amazon, make it more of a challenge to self-publish fiction successfully than it was a decade ago. Back when the […]
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. […]
Stronger writing comes from choosing power words. by Kathy Steinemann Wrong word or strong word? Muscle up, wordsters. Weak writing alienates readers. They won’t settle for wussy, so why should you? One path to stronger writing is to pump up the power of single words. This post provides examples that will help you muscle-ize your […]
by Anne R. Allen Social Media is both a boon and a curse to new writers. Online writing groups and forums are an excellent source of insider information on the publishing industry—stuff we once could only find at expensive classes and writers’ conferences. But social media is also a major source of misinformation and dangerously […]
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. […]
An Indie Author CAN publish with dignity and rise above the sleaze. by Derek Murphy I was at a writer’s conference recently where a woman was upset because the agent she pitched didn’t believe in her book. She wanted more support, more sympathy, more understanding. The speaker pointed out that the agent’s job is not […]
Ever wished you could unsend email? Now Gmail lets you do that…and more! by Nate Hoffelder. With Google releasing a new version of Gmail, now is a great time to reconsider how we can use Gmail to get more done. Gmail is possibly the most widely used email service, but are you getting the most out […]
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 […]
Are old manuscripts gathering dust in your archives? by Ruth Harris. Every writer has (at least) one and probably more. They’re the old manuscripts we—most certainly including Anne and me—started but didn’t finish or did finish but somehow went off track. They’re our false starts, our duds and misfires, our first novels, our practice novels, […]
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