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April 19, 2020 By Anne R. Allen 30 Comments

What Successful Writers and Experienced Detectives Have in Common

What Successful Writers and Experienced Detectives Have in Common

by Garry Rodgers I was always the weird kid. While other boys dreamed of growing up to fly fast fighters or fight ferocious fires, I wanted to be a writer. It was like a calling. Is that weird or what? But, instead of studying fine arts or going to journalism school, when I turned twenty-one […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: From the Shadows, Garry Rogers, how to be a successful author, police detective

March 29, 2015 By Ruth Harris 54 Comments

The 10 Commandments of Highly Productive Professional Writers

The 10 Commandments of Highly Productive Professional Writers

by Ruth Harris I’ve known and worked with a lot of professional writers over the years (decades). Some work first thing in the AM, others in the PM, some don’t get started until near midnight. Some write sober, some don’t. Some write on a computer, some on legal pads, and some write on tablets or […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: coping with rejection, how to be a successful author, Husband Training School, professional writers, Ruth Harris, self-editing check list, self-editing tips, writing habits

September 7, 2014 By Anne R. Allen 71 Comments

The Biggest Mistake New Writers Make and 5 Ways to Avoid It

The Biggest Mistake New Writers Make and 5 Ways to Avoid It

by Anne R. Allen   It’s been an exciting week for the blog. Marketing expert Penny Sansevieri named us to the Top 30 Websites for Indies and blog guru Molly Greene named us to her list of must-read “leaders” in self-publishing. (I’m only recently self-published—and most of my work is still with a small press—but […]

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Filed Under: Self-Publishing, The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Achieving your writing goals, Agent rejection, Elizabeth S. Craig, how to be a successful author, Kris Rusch, Kristen Lamb, Malcolm Gladwell, Sherwood Ltd., Why You Should Write Short Fiction

August 24, 2014 By Anne R. Allen 70 Comments

10 Obsolete Beliefs that Can Block Self-Publishing Success

10 Obsolete Beliefs that Can Block Self-Publishing Success

by Anne R. Allen   New writers contact us every day, asking questions about everything from how to start their first short story (answer: butt in chair; hands on keyboard) to how to deal with trolls and bullies (don’t respond; walk away; report abuse.)We answer them all—as time permits—but there’s one kind of writer we […]

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Filed Under: Self-Publishing, Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business, Writing Craft Tagged With: Book Marketing, Dean Wesley Smith, Ebook Marketing, how to be a successful author, How to self-publish, Mary Webber, self publishing, The Fussy Librarian, The Lady of the Lakewood Diner

July 14, 2013 By Anne R. Allen 38 Comments

Are Your Dreams Standing in the Way of Writing Success? 5 Dreams That Can Interfere With Your Goals

Are Your Dreams Standing in the Way of Writing Success? 5 Dreams That Can Interfere With Your Goals

by Anne R. Allen   What’s the difference between a dream and a goal? Short answer: reality. A dream is a creature of the imagination, full of sparkles and rainbows and magic. It’s our castle in the air where we live our fantasy lives. We all need them. But we also need to recognize them […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Achieving your writing goals, Ann Lamott, Anne R. Allen, Dreams vs. goals, how to be a successful author, Michael Ventura, Richard Castle, Richard North Patterson, sucky first drafts, Thrillerfest

June 30, 2013 By Ruth Harris 29 Comments

Rejection, Rotten Reviews, and Social Media: 7 Ways Writers Need to be Like Rhinos

Rejection, Rotten Reviews, and Social Media: 7 Ways Writers Need to be Like Rhinos

by Ruth Harris   Writers are always urged to have or develop  “rhino skin.” But let me add a few words about rhino skin. When I wrote ZURI, I did lots & lots of research about rhinos. As it turns out, rhinos have thick hides but sensitive skin—quite different from the usual perception. What rhinos […]

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Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection, Writing Craft Tagged With: advice for writers, coping with rejection, how to be a successful author, how to deal with negative reviews, opportunities for writers, rhinos, Ruth Harris, Zuri a love story

May 1, 2011 By Anne R. Allen 61 Comments

Want to be a Successful Author? 10 Things English Majors Have to Unlearn

Want to be a Successful Author? 10 Things English Majors Have to Unlearn

by Anne R. Allen   One of my favorite moments in film happens in Star Trek IV, when the Enterprise crew find themselves back the 20th century. Kirk refers to “the complete works of Jacqueline Susann, the novels of Harold Robbins,” and Spock replies, “Ah… The giants!” Funny bit. But the thing is—they were giants. Not great writers, but […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Genre guidelines, how to be a successful author, Literary genres, Star Trek IV

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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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