Writing about writing. Mostly.
Don’t kill book sales dead with a less than enticing “look inside” sample. by Anne R. Allen I never have as much time to read as I think I will, and my trusty old Kindle is pretty loaded up. So I’m a picky book-buyer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of readers like me out here, […]
Even if you have the writing talent of Lord Byron, you need these things. by Anne R. Allen I understand why new writers want to be reassured they have writing talent. They don’t want to embark on the long road to a writing career if they don’t have the chops. So I have sympathy with […]
Ruth and Anne wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2018. As Anne wrote earlier this month, you run into a lot of bogus information about writing in the Internet age. Other advice you run into can be helpful…but be wary of taking it all as gospel. Remember that rigid rules usually lead to […]
The first Christmas card was sent soon after Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was published. by Anne R. Allen As we approach the frantic season known as “The Holidays,” I always ask myself, “Why do we do it?” Why do I make fake snowdrifts around a dying tree in my sunny California living room and […]
Do you know the “secret writing rules”? by Anne R. Allen Somerset Maugham famously said, “There are three rules for writing. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.” But pretty much everybody you meet in the publishing business will give you a list of them. (One is “never start a sentence with ‘there are’” —so watch […]
Writing clichés are allowed at Christmastime, even welcomed! by Tara Sparling When it comes to Christmas, writers and writing are inextricably linked. The rites and rituals of the season are handed down from year to year through books, TV, movies, and song. But where are the festive songs about writers? I searched high and low, but […]
The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors is here! by Anne R. Allen I’ve made some spectacular blunders in my blogging career. But since we learn from our mistakes, I’ve got a boatload of information now. As Ruth and I say: “We made the mistakes so you don’t have to.” The worst decision I […]
An authors’ alphabet of useful resources from agents, bestselling authors, and many websites, including this blog. by Ruth Harris A Adverbs. Stephen King on the “atrocity of adverbs.” Agent. Necessity or luxury? Laurie McLean lays it out. Nathan Bransford tells how to research an agent. Amazon. Upended traditional Big Six publishing. Also a river in South America. […]
Even new writers need to keep an author bio on hand. By Anne R. Allen The author bio on your social media, blog or website is one of the most important things you’ll ever write, so you want to put some thought into it. It’s what’s going to define you for agents, readers, editors, journalists, […]
by Anne R. Allen Okay, I’ll confess: I have never been tempted to join in NaNoWriMo. That doesn’t mean I don’t admire the heck out of people who can do it. Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in a little over month. You can’t argue with that kind of success. But some writers prefer to […]
Social Media can feel like a monster. Here’s how to slay it. by Chris Syme When it comes to book marketing, there is no bigger potential time waster than social media. There are approximately 210 social media sites listed on Wikipedia (global numbers). Of those 210, there are about ten that you can probably name […]
Beyond Nostalgia: authentic historical detail from fads, trends, and headlines can help you write books readers will relate to. by Ruth Harris Writers of historical fiction, whether Regency, Middle Ages, Victorian use the markers of the era—clothes, furniture, manners, leaders, resisters, war, peace, prosperity, recession—to create character, conflict, and plot. Writers of fiction set in […]
Where will Amazon review trolls lurk now the Amazon fora are gone? by Anne R. Allen Amazon periodically cracks down on users who have been abusing their customer review and ranking systems. Most of us are happy when the giant retailer takes steps to combat the abuse. Cheaters take money out of our pockets and […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris