Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
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 […]
by Ruth Harris Your title is just right for your genre. Your cover is on-target, too. Perfect image, just-so font, come-hither colors. This is a cover that will end up in the book cover wing of the Louvre. You know, that premium spot right next to the Mona Lisa. Your blurb is totally irresistible. I […]
by Ruth Harris Who has used this secret superpower to achieve success? Tom Brady, Quarterback. A recent article on the sports page about Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Quarterback Tom Brady preparing himself and his team for the Superbowl grabbed my attention. According to the story, one of Brady’s habits throughout a season is to create a […]
by Ruth Harris My encounters with reader mail go back a long way. My first job as a very young editor at Bantam included slogging through the slush pile and answering reader mail. No internet or email those days. Everything was done the old fashioned way — by hand. I’ve written before about my adventures in […]
by Ruth Harris Between Covid and lockdown rules, cabin fever and cooking, sour dough and sour moods, 2020 is—finally!—dragging to an end. Anne dealt with non-Covid-related debilitating health issues. I had to navigate NYC’s soaring Covid infection rates. She had a meltdown involving a TV remote. I had one triggered by laundry. The good news is that with […]
Now authors can make DIY book covers with easy-to-use, drag-and-drop design apps by Ruth Harris In the early days of self-publishing, authors who didn’t know know coding had to hire formatters to make their books cyber-ready. Since then, formatting has become part of many writing programs. Word processors like MSWord, Scrivener and Pages will output […]
by Ruth Harris A term used in scoring tennis, “unforced errors” are not caused by the actions of the player’s opponent, but they’re the responsibility of the player him/herself. S/he is caught wrong-footed, out of balance, unable to return the serve, incapable of making the winning shot. The concept of unforced errors can also be […]
Success comes from patience, practice, and persistence. by Ruth Harris We’re living in a world where everything—pizza, groceries, shampoo, a barre class, hot sex (or, in these days of Covid-19, a sex toy discreetly wrapped)—is a click away. Even in the midst of a shelter-in-place pandemic, everything anyone—including writers—could want is at our fingertips. We’ve […]
by Ruth Harris You might have thought because you’re staying at home that you’d have more free time to start/finish a book or take an on-line yoga class. But in reality, because we’re all spending so much time at home, much of that time is consumed by eating which means food prep and cooking (which […]
5 common mental traps: how to ID them, how to fight back by Ruth Harris Last week Anne wrote about scams and scammers — the enemies out there ready to pounce on unwary writers. This week I want to follow up with some words about the enemies within — the traps writers set for themselves. Traps […]
by Ruth Harris One of them is lying. Or are both of them lying? You mean maybe both of them are telling the truth? Could be, couldn’t it? No matter which answer is the correct one, what people say and the words with which they say it, will immediately bring your characters—and your book—to life. […]
Happy New Year from Anne and Ruth! With our sincere best wishes for a festive holiday and rewarding 2020. We love our readers and appreciate every one of you. Thank you for keeping us going for the last 10 years! Here are some things coming up on the blog in the next few months. Agent […]
The publishing roller coaster can drive you nuts if you let it. by Ruth Harris I don’t really have to tell you, do I? Success followed by failure. Ups followed by crashes. Sinatra sang it: Flying high in April. Shot down in May. Moodswings. One week you pop the Dom Perignon. The next, you’re knee […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris