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November 20, 2016 By Anne R. Allen 126 Comments

Stupid Writing Rules: 12 Bad Writing Tips New Writers Give Each Other

Stupid Writing Rules: 12 Bad Writing Tips New Writers Give Each Other

Stupid writing rules–Beware the Dunning-Kruger Effect. by Anne R. Allen   Fake news isn’t our only problem in the era of social media. Fake writing rules are everywhere. Even I get taken in. I shared a meme on Facebook yesterday that gave a spelling rule that was 100% wrong. Thank goodness an English teacher friend […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writers Dealing with Reviews and Rejection, Writing Craft Tagged With: Chris Syme, critique group pitfalls, critique groups and criticism, memoir writing, prologues, Sell More Books with Less Social Media, the Dunning-Kruger Effect, weird writing rules, writing memior

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

February 24, 2013 By Anne R. Allen 46 Comments

Self-Editing 101—13 Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Opening Chapter

Self-Editing 101—13 Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Opening Chapter

By Anne R. Allen   This is usually Ruth’s week to post, but she’s busy proofing galleys of her much-anticipated new novel The Chanel Caper. And next weekend, I’ll be busy teaching THE TECH-SAVVY AUTHOR workshop. So we switched. On March 3rd, look for Ruth’s post on why we like a tough, flinty heroine. OK, […]

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Filed Under: Writing Craft Tagged With: how to start a novel, Laurie McLean, Mary Sues, Nathan Bransford, prologues, Robinson Crusoe openings, Roxanna Britton, Self-Editing, Shirley S. Allen, Tech-Savvy Author winners

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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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