Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
Ian Fleming worked as hard on marketing as today’s authors. by Ruth Harris. It’s not just today’s authors who work hard. Consider Ian Fleming. The Man With The Golden Typewriter: Ian Fleming’s James Bond Letters is a collection by Fleming’s nephew of the author’s letters to his publisher, editors, colleagues, other writers, fans, readers, and friends. […]
Are old manuscripts gathering dust in your archives? by Ruth Harris. Every writer has (at least) one and probably more. They’re the old manuscripts we—most certainly including Anne and me—started but didn’t finish or did finish but somehow went off track. They’re our false starts, our duds and misfires, our first novels, our practice novels, […]
by Ruth Harris I’ve been published for decades. Random House and Simon & Schuster paid me well to publish my books in hard cover and paperback. My books have sold millions of copies, been translated into 19 languages, and appeared on Amazon and NYTimes bestseller lists. Shouldn’t I know by now wtf I’m doing? Shouldn’t […]
Fantasy is what keeps writers going… by Ruth Harris Does any of this sound familiar? Fantasy: Oodles of long, uninterrupted stretches of time in which to dream, think, imagine. Reality: Rewriting/revising/editing that *%$& chapter for the umpteenth time. Fantasy: A leisurely afternoon at a baseball game, or at the park, or relaxing in a hammock. […]
First sentences from classic and contemporary literature analyzed. by Ruth Harris No matter what genre you write, your first sentence is a seduction. It can be in the form of an invitation. A declaration. A tease. A promise. A jolt. A shock. You must be shameless and your first sentence must be irresistible. It must […]
A visit from your muse: the gift you give yourself. by Ruth Harris “What The Subconscious is to every other man, in its creative aspect becomes, for writers, The Muse.” ~ Ray Bradbury What Ray Bradbury called the muse, Stephen King called the “guys in the basement.” Others call it the sixth sense, the Spidey […]
Beware plot and pot holes in your fiction! by Ruth Harris We all come face to face with them, those pesky glitches, oopsies, OMGs and WTFs that ruin a story, turn a reader off, guarantee a slew of one-star reviews—and kill sales. Beta readers will often point them out. Editors are professional fixers, always on […]
Secrets are the engine that keep a story moving forward. by Ruth Harris Shhh! Secrets. Everyone has them. Every book must have at least one because secrets are the jet-powered engine that propels fiction forward. Ever notice how many blurbs in the daily BookBub email include the word secret? Secrets provide motivation, plot, character, even a setting (a […]
Ruth and Anne wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2018. As Anne wrote earlier this month, you run into a lot of bogus information about writing in the Internet age. Other advice you run into can be helpful…but be wary of taking it all as gospel. Remember that rigid rules usually lead to […]
An authors’ alphabet of useful resources from agents, bestselling authors, and many websites, including this blog. by Ruth Harris A Adverbs. Stephen King on the “atrocity of adverbs.” Agent. Necessity or luxury? Laurie McLean lays it out. Nathan Bransford tells how to research an agent. Amazon. Upended traditional Big Six publishing. Also a river in South America. […]
Beyond Nostalgia: authentic historical detail from fads, trends, and headlines can help you write books readers will relate to. by Ruth Harris Writers of historical fiction, whether Regency, Middle Ages, Victorian use the markers of the era—clothes, furniture, manners, leaders, resisters, war, peace, prosperity, recession—to create character, conflict, and plot. Writers of fiction set in […]
Process goals make that road seem less daunting by Ruth Harris Psychologists differentiate between outcome goals (write a book) and process goals (the steps it will take to write a book). The outcome goal focuses on the big picture and the end result—a diamond-studded World Series ring, an Emmy, the winner’s circle at the Kentucky Derby. An outcome goal […]
How to open an account at the idea bank. by Ruth Harris As Anne said in her recent post, being “blocked” is the #1 issue for new writers and she offered 14 suggestions for ways to “fill the well.” In today’s post, I am going to take a deep dive into a few specific ways […]
