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November 13, 2016 By Anne R. Allen 44 Comments

What Genre is Your Novel? And is it YA, MG, New Adult or Adult?

What Genre is Your Novel? And is it YA, MG, New Adult or Adult?

Novel genre isn’t always obvious, even to the author. While we’re writing, (especially during NaNoWriMo) we just let the inspiration pull us along. But there comes a point where we have to decide where our work fits in the great bookish ecosystem – its genre and the age of its audience. Writing coach and novelist […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, Writing Craft Tagged With: Genre guidelines, know your genre, Literary genres, Nail Your Novel, novel categories, Roz Morris, Writing tips

January 24, 2016 By Anne R. Allen 113 Comments

10 Misconceptions a College Education Taught Me about Writing

10 Misconceptions a College Education Taught Me about Writing

by Anne R. Allen   I had what is known as a “good education.”  I attended East Coast and European prep schools and Ivy League colleges. Both my parents were college professors with PhDs in literature. All of which left me uniquely unqualified for my chosen profession:  writing novels. Why? Because I grew up knowing […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: know your genre, literary vs. genre, prologues, Writing tips

May 25, 2014 By Ruth Harris 107 Comments

Know Your Genre: Tips and Secrets from the Experts for Writing Bestselling Genre Fiction

Know Your Genre: Tips and Secrets from the Experts for Writing Bestselling Genre Fiction

by Ruth Harris Romance with a side of horror? Happens in real life—oy!—but not such a hot idea in fiction. Cozy mystery with a soupçon of blood and gore?  Only if you want readers coming after you with shoulder-fired missiles. Sci-fi in a gauzy, vintage-y mood? Not unless you want to find an IED in […]

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Filed Under: E-Books and Technology for Writers, Self-Publishing, Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business Tagged With: A Kiss at Kihali, Genre guidelines, How to write a bestselling novel, Jami Gold, know your genre, Literary genres, Margot Kinberg, Ruth Harris

February 23, 2014 By Ruth Harris 44 Comments

From Pathetic to Professional: 8 Ways to Beat the First Draft Blues

From Pathetic to Professional:  8 Ways to Beat the  First Draft Blues

by Ruth Harris You’re happy, even delirious. You’ve finished your first draft! Then you read it. OMG, you think, did I write that?Yes, you did. 🙂 It stinks. It sucks. It’s so rancid it threatens to warp the time-space continuum. Think you’re alone? Here’s Hugh Howey in a blog post: “I suck at writing. Watching a rough […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Character names, crutch words, how to write dialogue, Hugh Howey, know your genre, reverse outlining, Ruth Harris, Scrivener, Self-Editing, self-editing tips, sh***y first drafts, Zuri a love story

December 30, 2012 By Ruth Harris 28 Comments

An Editor Confesses: 6 Things Writers Taught Me…by Ruth Harris

An Editor Confesses: 6 Things Writers Taught Me…by Ruth Harris

  by Ruth Harris   I’ve known and worked with a lot of 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 these days some write […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Big 6 editor, free books, how to write a novel, know your genre, professional writers, Ruth Harris, Self-Editing, writing dos and don'ts

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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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