by Kristen Lamb
October 2013
There are few tools more powerful for creating a brand than a good author blog. The Digital Age is fast-paced, and information is fleeting. Many of us are struggling in a sea of 0s and 1s for something of substance to grasp onto.
Read Moreby Steven James
October 2013
A few years ago when my daughter was in sixth grade, she was studying for a spelling bee and one of the advanced words was agathokakological. It took us a while to track down the definition: "consisting of both good and evil." What a fabulous word: agathokakological. We humans have agathokakological hearts, motives, dreams, passions. The next day I told my youngest daughter to inform her first grade teacher that we are an agathokakological breed. I wish I could have seen her teacher's expression when she did.
Read Moreby Erin Brown
October 2013
You've slaved for months, years-perhaps decades-to finish your manuscript. You've tackled all-nighters, tear-your-hair-out rewrites, grueling self-imposed deadlines; you've grappled with creative juices that either flowed until you were drunk with brilliant narrative or dried up to leave you parched, devoid of inspiration, sobbing onto your keyboard. You get my drift. You've poured your heart and soul into this baby of yours. You've reached the point when you want to start submitting to agents or self-publish.
Read Moreby Jason Black
October 2013
Why Do We Deny?
What's behind the human instinct to deny surprising news? Google it and you'll find lots of answers.
Some are facile: denial is easier than facing difficult truths. Maybe in the short term. But in the long run, denial just makes problems harder and consequences worse. That's not easier.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
September 2013
They're trying to kill the apostrophe. Again. A recent article in the newspaper declared that apostrophes really are unnecessary in company signs. Apparently they take up too much space. And you know they don't appear in names on maps (think Pikes Peak, even though there was only one Pike).
Read Moreby Midge Raymond
September 2013
This article is excerpted from Everyday Book Marketing: Promotion Ideas to Fit Your Regularly Scheduled Life.
A website is, of course, essential for authors-though keep in mind that it needn't be expensive or high-end. You simply need to have an online presence so that readers, potential reviewers or interviewers, or anyone else interested in your book can find and contact you.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
September 2013
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world it is best to hold hands and stick together.
~Robert Fulghum
When I was young, there was basically only one thing of which I was ever jealous: beauty. I was jealous of the pretty ones - the ones for whom being in a body seemed to be a breeze, an effortless stroll through life and other people's admiration. I was jealous of those who seemed to meet The Criteria. I wanted to meet that criteria, know it, and live happily ever after because of it.
Read Moreby Kristen Lamb
September 2013
It's never necessary for a writer to have multiple blogs. Can we choose to have them? Sure. Is it a good use of time? Nope. We need that time and word count for the most important aspect of our author platforms:
More books.
Read Moreby Brian Mercer
September 2013
I am standing in a room full of literary agents. There are eighteen of them, sitting at individual tables along the periphery of the room. There are three rooms just like this one, more than sixty agents and editors in total, and I have access to them all.
Time is limited. I'll have three minutes per agent to pitch my novel, this after standing in line in front of each table to get a chance to meet them.
Read Moreby Erin Brown
September 2013
Dialogue can be what makes or breaks your characters, much less your novel. I always tell writers that what counts is not what your characters say; it's how they say it. Mr. Steinbeck encompassed this idea perfectly. And I think he knew just a thing or two about writing dialogue. So how do you write strong dialogue, you ask? What a great question! Here are five pointers so that your readers don't want to stick red hot pokers in their eyes when your characters are conversing.
Read Moreby Jason Black
September 2013
Readers judge the believability of your characters on two key factors: how they behave, and how they react. Behaviors are believable when a choice makes sense given everything we know about a character in some situation. But reactions are believable based on the emotions the character displays. This is where writers often fall down.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
August 2013
It’s amazing how many people seem to be upset that the new little prince in Britain is named George. Maybe they’ll feel better when he’s King George VII. One thing is for certain, however: he will be able to sign his name, and people will know he’s a male. Not all names are so decisive.
by Jennifer Paros
August 2013
There is a fountain inside you. Don’t walk around with an empty bucket.
~ Rumi
I had a crush on a boy when I was fifteen. Physically, he was actually the opposite of what I was attracted to. He was substantially overweight, with some sort of mole or birthmark on his face, a larger nose, and an expression that wasn’t particularly inviting. He was smart, however, and had a sharp sense of humor.
Read Moreby Jason Black
August 2013
You know what I remember most about writing my first manuscript? Writing the ending. I’d had such a wonderful time writing that whole manuscript. I loved those characters. When I wrote what I knew was the last scene, I became so choked up the lump in my throat literally hurt.
Read Moreby Kristin Meekhof
August 2013
I was age 33 when my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and about eight weeks later, he died. Our brief, brutal and beautiful story is below.
It's October and pitch black outside. The birds are not even awake, and I'm rumbling through my purse, going to turn on the car, to make sure the seat warmer on the passenger side is on because my husband's frail and skinny body easily gets cold.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
July 2013
So this is how you swim inward, So this is how you flow outwards . . . .
~ Mary Oliver
When I was a kid, I had to have a certain very soft, smooth pillowcase in order to sleep; I was particular about food; if clothing was in any way tight or bothersome, it was wrestled to the ground and rejected. Swimming scared me; putting my face in the water and blowing bubbles was an ordeal. Learning to ride a bike haunted me – I feared losing control. Overall, my personality did not embody the adventurous spirit.
Read Moreby Eric Maisel
July 2013
Your first task as a creative person is to “mind your mind” and think thoughts that serve you. Doesn’t it make sense to speak to yourself in ways that help you create more deeply and more regularly, that allow you to detach more effectively from the everyday chaos of ordinary life, that decrease your anxiety and negativity, and that remind you that you are in charge of showing up and making an effort?
Read Moreby Erin Brown
July 2013
Okay, so hopefully you won’t actually die trying to survive and thrive at a writers’ conference, although if you corner an agent in the bathroom to make a pitch, you’re playing with fire. So how can you make the most of your conference experience so that you walk away at the end with your head held high, with a wealth of new knowledge, and with some key contacts?
Read Moreby Devyani Borade
July 2013
As writers, we know better than anyone the power of the right word. A carefully picked verb, an aptly placed adjective – these are the things that make us tick. We could probably live forever off the high of a perfect rhyme and a thundering opening paragraph. But I could never have imagined the far-reaching effects of what started off as a hobby.
Read Moreby Jason Black
July 2013
I've heard lots of writers and writing experts preach the gospel of failure—that is, letting your characters fail at their endeavors—saying it creates drama. There are many reasons why, but the best ones relate to what failure teaches readers about your characters.
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