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September 4, 2022 By Anne R. Allen 27 Comments

How to Write a Short Story: Wisdom from C.S. Lewis

How to Write a Short Story: Wisdom from C.S. Lewis

Write a short story–with advice from the creator of Narnia by Jim Denney When we think of short stories, we think of names like Poe, Chekhov, and Hemingway. But can you name your favorite C. S. Lewis short story? Probably not. Lewis is famed and beloved for The Chronicles of Narnia, but few readers are […]

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Filed Under: Writing Craft Tagged With: C.S. Lewis, Jim Denney, short stories

May 10, 2015 By Dr. John Yeoman 42 Comments

How NOT To Win A Writing Contest: 7 Deadly Story Sins

How NOT To Win A Writing Contest: 7 Deadly Story Sins

by Dr. John Yeoman   Have you ever entered a short story contest and failed to win? And wondered why? You may have made one or more of these seven ‘killer’ mistakes. How do I know? Since 2009, I’ve judged more than 6000 entries in the Writers’ Village short story award. And I’ve given every […]

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Filed Under: Writing Craft Tagged With: how to win writing contests, John Yeoman, short fiction, short stories, Writers' Village Short Story Awards, writing contests, Writing tips

May 11, 2014 By Anne R. Allen 69 Comments

The New Golden Age of Short Fiction: 12 Reasons to Write a Short Story This Month

The New Golden Age of Short Fiction: 12 Reasons to Write a Short Story This Month

by Anne R. Allen I recently heard from a writer who said she felt disrespected by her writing group. They were all working on novels and memoir and didn’t take her short fiction work seriously.I saw another writer on Google Plus asking for help because his work kept coming in at around 40 pages—like that […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Day One magazine, Kindle Serials, Kindle Singles, Shirley S. Allen, short fiction, short is the new long, short stories, Short stories made into films, Short story markets

January 19, 2014 By Anne R. Allen 88 Comments

Six Pieces of Bad Advice New Writers Need to Ignore

Six Pieces of Bad Advice New Writers Need to Ignore

by Anne R. Allen   A couple of weeks ago, when I wrote a post about writing as a hobby as opposed to a profession (hint: they’re both good choices), I got a couple of comments from new writers who were discouraged to read how much work and dedication it takes to become a professional writer. They […]

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Filed Under: Self-Publishing, Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Amazon reviews, Anne R. Allen, critiquecircle.com, how not to publish, How to get a book published, Ltd. SheWrites, querying agents, Sherwood, short fiction, short stories, WANAtribe, Writing myths

May 26, 2013 By Anne R. Allen 37 Comments

Short is the New Long: 10 Reasons Why Short Stories are Hot

Short is the New Long: 10 Reasons Why Short Stories are Hot

 by Anne R. Allen   Ruth Harris will be posting on June 2 instead of today. She kindly switched with me because I’m going to be out of town next weekend, celebrating my Mom’s 92nd birthday. Thanks to all of you who downloaded my mom’s pioneer saga, ROXANNA BRITTON, and sent it to #1 in […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, Writing Craft Tagged With: 21st Century writing, Anne R. Allen, bogus writing contests, history of the novel, Joanna Penn, Kindle Serials, Kindle Singles, Leslie Kaufman, literary journals, Olivia Lewis, short stories

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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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