Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris

Writing about writing. Mostly.

  • Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • Ruth Harris
    • Anne R. Allen
    • Shirley S. Allen
  • Archives
  • Books
    • Books by Anne R. Allen
    • Books by Ruth Harris
  • Guest Bloggers
  • Contact
  • How To Get Your Book Published
  • Resources For Writers

January 18, 2015 By Anne R. Allen 72 Comments

6 Mistakes that Can Sidetrack New Writers

6 Mistakes that Can Sidetrack New Writers

   by Anne R. Allen   Ruth and I like to say we made all the writing and publishing mistakes so you don’t have to. I figure that personally I’ve collected nearly the full set of authorial faux pas since I embarked on a writing career. Here’s a list of some of the things I wish I […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection, Writing Craft Tagged With: advice for writers, beta readers, critique groups and criticism, Dunning-Kruger Effect, Ghostwriters in the Sky, Malcolm Gladwell, newbie advice

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 […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram

Like this:

Like Loading...

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

January 13, 2013 By Anne R. Allen 54 Comments

The Number One Mistake New Writers Make

The Number One Mistake New Writers Make

by Anne R. Allen   Most complaints about authors by agents and editors as well as reviewers can be boiled down to the same offense. It’s the major reason so many reviewers won’t read self-published books by unknowns. What is that mistake? Rushing to publish too early. Nobody wants to read a rough draft. Your […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: 99 cent book bubble, critiquecircle.com, Editing, Kathryn Rusch, Kristen Lamb, Malcolm Gladwell, NaNoWriMo, publishing business, self publishing

March 4, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 50 Comments

How Do You Learn To Be a Writer?

How Do You Learn To Be a Writer?

by Anne R. Allen I’m often approached by parents or grandparents of children who’ve shown a talent for writing. They ask how a child can learn to be a writer. Or sometimes a person going through a mid-life job change will ask my advice about going back to college to pursue a long-deferred writing dream. […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: 10 thousand-hour rule, Anne R. Allen, creative writing courses, How to be a Writer, how to write, Janet Reid, Kristen Lamb, Kristin Nelson, Malcolm Gladwell, Rachelle Gardner

Anne's Latest Book

The Hour of the Moth

The Hour of the Moth
Buy from Amazon

Ruth's Latest Book

Diamonds Are For Now

Diamonds Are For Now
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Kobo
Buy from Google Play

Follow Anne

  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Follow Ruth

  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Follow Anne Here

Follow Anne Here

Follow Ruth Here

Follow Ruth Here
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.

The best SEO books of all time

50 Kickass Resources

50 Kickass Resources

Thanks, Author Marketing Resources!

The best Blogging books of all time

Follow Anne

Follow Anne

Categories

Best Writing Blogs in 2018

Best Writing Blogs in 2018

Top 50 Writing Blogs

Top 30 Websites for Indies


Top 30 Websites for Indies

Thanks, AME!

Annual Bloggers Bash Awards Nominee Best Blogging Writing Blog

Annual Bloggers Bash Awards Nominee Best Blogging Writing Blog
  • Privacy Policy

This site is designed and maintained by:

This site is designed and maintained by:

RSS Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris

  • The Hidden World of Writing Scams: What Every Author Needs to Know May 4, 2025 Anne R. Allen
  • About
  • Books by Anne R. Allen
  • Books by Ruth Harris
  • Shirley S. Allen
  • Guest Bloggers
  • HOW TO GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 Anne R Allen and respective authors · Site Maintained by Nate Hoffelder

%d