Writing about writing. Mostly.
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, […]
Social media is about being sociable. by Frances Caballo. Dan Zarrella, author of The Science of Marketing, said in his book, “I’ve long been interested in the idea that engaging in conversation is the single most important function of social media marketing.” He’s right. And so is David Alston, a startup advisor and TEDx speaker. He […]
By Anne R. Allen. This week, Jane Friedman reports some bad news for new novelists who want to go the traditional publishing route. She says fiction markets are increasingly “more competitive and risk-averse due to continued dwindling sales.” And she tells us that agents and publishers are now combing queries looking for “authors who demonstrate they […]
by Dave Chesson. I’m a big believer in making the most of the time we have to write and getting the best possible output from it. After all, for most writers, time is the ultimate luxury. We can always experience ebbs and flows in sales or followers, but time is truly a finite resource. Once […]
Writing a novel synopsis doesn’t have to be a miserable chore. by Anne R. Allen. I have yet to meet a writer who enjoys writing a novel synopsis. Unfortunately, we all need to write them. Yes, even self-publishers. I sometimes see people in writing groups and forums who gloat when there’s a discussion of how […]
by Ruth Harris I’ve been published for decades. Random House and Simon & Schuster paid me well to publish my books in hard cover and paperback. My books have sold millions of copies, been translated into 19 languages, and appeared on Amazon and NYTimes bestseller lists. Shouldn’t I know by now wtf I’m doing? Shouldn’t […]
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 […]
