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May 30, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 23 Comments

Style Sheets, Style Guides, and Writing Style: Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask

Style Sheets, Style Guides, and Writing Style: Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask

by Ruth Harris The style sheet is a writer’s secret power — and best friend. A style sheet will save you time, frustration, and money. A style sheet will save you from yourself and prevent you from making the kind of mistakes that will send readers fleeing and guarantee one-star reviews. If you’re writing a […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, Writing Craft Tagged With: developing your writing style, Ruth Harris, Style Guide, Style Sheets, Zuri

March 6, 2016 By Anne R. Allen 100 Comments

6 Reasons “Show Don’t Tell” Can be Terrible Advice for New Writers

6 Reasons “Show Don’t Tell” Can be Terrible Advice for New Writers

by Anne R. Allen   “Show-Don’t-Tell” is one of the most sacred commandments in the writerly bible. As Susan Defreitas wrote at LitReactor, “If writing advice were classic rock, this would be ‘Stairway to Heaven’.” “Show, Don’t Tell” is sound advice—up to a point. Nobody wants to read a novel that’s a dry recitation of incidents. […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: critique groups and criticism, developing your writing style, newbie advice, show don't tell, writing rules

March 31, 2013 By Ruth Harris 36 Comments

Style, Fear and the Bias Against Creativity

by Ruth Harris Style was once described as “looking like yourself on purpose.”I don’t know who said it but the words and the idea behind them always made sense to me. Certainly Barbra Streisand, Audrey Hepburn and Tilda Swinton are examples. So are Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Woody Allen. They don’t look like anyone else and are instantly […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: being yourself on purpose, Black Balloon Publishing, creativity, developing your writing style, Ruth Harris, The Chanel Caper, the fearless writer

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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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