Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
by Ruth Harris Why is cooking — often? usually? sometimes? — more appealing than writing? *Even if you’re only a halfway decent cook, just about everyone will eat and enjoy what you made — and tell you so. * If you’re only a halfway decent writer, no one will enjoy what you wrote — or will […]
by Ruth Harris How often should you water a cactus? What is the name of the president who came before Abraham Lincoln? How do you blow up a bridge? What’s so special about the Sydney opera house? What does SPECTRE stand for? In the course of writing a novel, a writer — one who will […]
by Ruth Harris Here are Some Pro Tips And Tricks To Absolutely, Positively Raise Your Anemic R-Score. Are you embarrassed by your pathetic R-quotient? Do other writers sneer at your R-score? Has your pile of rejection letters stalled out? Have your R-levels been diagnosed as too low? Has too much time gone by since your […]
by Ruth Harris The nip slip and wardrobe malfunction make good fodder for the gossip sites, but, for writers, wardrobes — clothes and accessories — are a powerful tool in the arsenal. 1. Clothes and accessories show, not tell. Clothing and accessories instantly convey status, setting and mood. They have their own language and vocabulary and […]
from Ruth Harris Anne and I wish happiness, health, and all the season’s blessings to our cherished readers and commenters. With the appearance of a new variant called Omicron, Covid has staged a resurgence. It feels to me as I write this from New York a few days before Christmas that we are living […]
by Ruth Harris There are some great reasons for writers to give thanks— That brilliant idea that comes out of nowhere just when you were about to give up. The reader who absolutely gets what you’re doing and says so in an intelligent, perceptive review. The google doc that goes everywhere you do seamlessly. Scrivener […]
by Ruth Harris OK, admit it. You’re one of them. You’ve walked the walk of shame. You threw up your hands, flew the white flag of surrender, and gave up. That book, the one you started with such high hopes, is dead. It bit the dust mumble-mumble years (decades?) ago. Now it’s a ghost, a goblin, draped […]
by Ruth Harris You worked hard. You pored through reference books, consulted Google and maybe even — gasp! — went to the library to do research. And you made certain the characters were dimensional and well drawn. You spent time creating a solid, intriguing plot and writing zingy dialogue. You paid attention to your beta […]
by Ruth Harris Your blurb (aka Production Description on Amazon) has one — and only one — purpose: to make the reader an offer s/he can’t refuse. How do I know? Because over the years, I’ve written hundreds — more likely thousands — of blurbs. From the slush pile to the editor’s office. When I started […]
Amazon and Bookbub offer great marketing tools. And they’re free! by Ruth Harris Yeah, we know… A BookBub feature will rocket your book skyward. Stacked promos can help you tickle the algos and ride the tsunami. A great launch strategy well executed can get your book a bestseller badge. But all these options are pricey—especially […]
by Ruth Harris What can we learn from authors who have gone from obscurity to success? The Everyday Star Are you dreaming of being a *superstar* like Stephen King or Nora Roberts? Really? Think about it. How realistic is it to imagine that you, too, can be SK or NR? Do you have any idea […]
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 […]
The life cycle of a writer can be as predictable as a frog’s by Ruth Harris A glimmer of an idea sparks in the writer’s mind. You’re in the shower, just waking up, cooking dinner, mopping the floor, or on the way to the supermarket, dentist, or a hot date with The One. It’s the […]
