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April 9, 2023 By Anne R. Allen 16 Comments

Theme and Symbolism in Fiction in a Nutshell

Theme and Symbolism in Fiction in a Nutshell

by Becca Puglisi When it comes to storytelling elements, we’re all pretty familiar with symbolism. You basically take an object, word, color, phrase, etc., and apply it in a story to give it a deeper meaning. Tolkien’s one ring (evil) in Lord of the Rings The floating feather (destiny/fate) in Forrest Gump A Mockingjay (rebellion) in The Hunger […]

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Filed Under: Writing Craft Tagged With: Becca Puglisi, Catfishing in America, The Conflict Thesaurus

March 19, 2023 By Anne R. Allen 43 Comments

How to Write for the Web: All Writers Need to be Web Content Providers Now

How to Write for the Web: All Writers Need to be Web Content Providers Now

  by Anne R. Allen These days, pretty much all writers need to learn to write Web content. Yes, even if you’re a Victorian romance author whose readers care more about reticules and spatterdashers than retweets and SEO.  Even if you don’t have your own blog. Any website needs content. Plus you may want to […]

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Filed Under: Blogging for Authors, Social Media and Marketing For Writers Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Catfishing in America, Writing for a blog

March 12, 2023 By Anne R. Allen 9 Comments

7 Tips for Negotiating a Literary Agent Agreement

7 Tips for Negotiating a Literary Agent Agreement

by Joseph Perry Congratulations! You’ve received an offer of representation. The next stop is the bestseller list. But before you start planning your book tour, you should take a few minutes to review your literary agent agreement (or lack thereof) Oral Agreements Some literary agencies do not have written contracts. They work with a verbal […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business Tagged With: Agent contracts, Catfishing in America, Joseph Perry, Literary agents

March 5, 2023 By Anne R. Allen 31 Comments

What’s Autofiction? Should You Fictionalize The Story of Your Life?

What’s Autofiction? Should You Fictionalize The Story of Your Life?

by Anne R. Allen A trendy word in publishing recently is “autofiction,” short for “autobiographical fiction.” The term isn’t new. It was first invented in 1977 by author Serge Doubrovsky when talking about his memoir-sh novel, Fils. And what about those Creative Nonfiction essays that fill literary magazines? (A goldmine for memoir writers.) Can you […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, autobiographical fiction, Catfishing in America, Dr. Shirley S. Allen, memoir, Roxanna Britton

February 19, 2023 By Anne R. Allen 16 Comments

Top Ten Ways to Market Your Book in a Month from @BadRedheadMedia

Top Ten Ways to Market Your Book in a Month from @BadRedheadMedia

You can market your book with these 10 strategies By Rachel Thompson   It can be daunting for authors when you have no idea how to market your book, yet it is essential to get your book in front of readers to make it successful. Here are the most important and effective book marketing strategies […]

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Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business Tagged With: 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge, Bad Redhead Media, Book Marketing, Catfishing in America, Rachel Thompson

February 5, 2023 By Anne R. Allen 42 Comments

How to Be a Beta Reader: 10 Tips for Providing a Helpful Beta Read

How to Be a Beta Reader: 10 Tips for Providing a Helpful Beta Read

Plus a COVER REVEAL!! by Anne R. Allen The term “beta reader” gets thrown around a lot in writerly circles, but I’ve discovered an awful lot of writers don’t really understand what they do. The term “beta” reader seems to come from the gaming industry. Early game developers would ask certain customers to test games […]

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Filed Under: Self-Publishing, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Catfishing in America, Sensitivity Reader, Thalia Press

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writers digest 101 best websites for writers award

Anne R. AllenAnne R. Allen writes funny mysteries and how-to-books for writers. She also writes poetry and short stories on occasion. She’s a contributor to Writer’s Digest and the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market.

Her bestselling Camilla Randall Mystery Series features perennially down-on-her-luck former socialite Camilla Randall—who is a magnet for murder, mayhem and Mr. Wrong, but always solves the mystery in her quirky, but oh-so-polite way.

Ruth Harris NYT best selling authorRuth is a million-copy New York Times bestselling author, Romantic Times award winner, former Big 5 editor, publisher, and news junkie.

Her emotional, entertaining women’s fiction and critically praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club.

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