These are the best of times for authors—and possibly the worst of times! The changes in the publishing industry over the past five years are nearly as significant as the advent of the internet. In fact, the two developments are intertwined and build on each other. We all know traditional […]
Welcome to My World
I’ve just finished my annual, in-home, writing retreat, and highly recommend the experience to all writers! While writing does happen, much else occurs that is very important to my creative process. Here are a few insights from this year’s retreat: It takes time to shift gears from having a whole […]
8 High Tech, Low Tech Healthy Writer Tips
Here’s a few tips for writers spending way too many hours at the computer: 1. I got an interval timer and set it to goose me every 40 minutes, at which point I MUST get up and move, shake, stretch, and otherwise un-vegitate until it rings again 2 minutes later. […]
Cheerleading! Mutually Beneficial Author Support
There are a lot of us out there. Authors. With great books to share. Too often, though, we feel alone in our endeavors, trying to get readers to notice us in the roiling sea of other great books. This is a great time to be a writer! It’s more possible […]
What – Why – How I Write #MyWritingProcess
Is your writing your hobby or your passion? Soul-searching time comes when you are confronted with four questions about your writing. Here’s my response to Sarah Reinhard’s challenge to these four questions: 1. What are you working on? With a couple of trips coming up, I’m blogging ahead using my […]
The End: Sweet Words for an Author, Sweet Experience for a Reader
The end. Two of the most satisfying words a writer can tap onto a keyboard. We’ve all dreamed of typing those six letters, and many of us have been fortunate enough to have achieved that particular success. In my past few posts, we’ve discussed beginnings and middles. Let’s talk about […]
Books, and Toned Middles
Last month, I talked about beginnings and how important they are to drawing the reader in to your book. It seems appropriate to continue on to story middles today. Middles ought to be pretty simple. After all, it’s the stuff that happens between the beginning and the end. Many authors, however, struggle […]
Red Pen 10-Point Clipboard Checklist
How to Edit Your Draft (Expanded from CWG blog guidelines.) Print this form out for each chapter or blog post and attach it to a clipboard. The first few items are usually done on the computer, but I still use the clipboard checklist to track my progress. I usually have […]
In the Beginning…
The most important part of your novel, short story, or even nonfiction piece is the beginning. What compels the reader to keep reading? How do you craft a beginning that doesn’t bog down, one that keeps the reader engaged? There are several schools of thought regarding beginnings. Depending on the […]
Reviews Blues
Looking for ways to improve the lot of your fellow writers? Here’s an idea: Write Better Reviews!! Reviews…you know….those rare bits of prose that we drool over. You’ve got to pack some punch into them if they’re going to be of use to your favorite authors. I’ve seen (and had) […]