by Ingrid Schaffenburg
September 2014
What do you want to do with your life? I mean, what do you really want to do? Take away expectations, fears, obligations, what's practical. What do you really want to do?
Perhaps you’re one of the fortunate folks who are already doing what they love each day and are completely content. But perhaps not. Perhaps you’re still gazing at a dream that seems to be out of reach.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
September 2014
With Robin Williams's recent death came many articles and posts expressing sorrow over what is most commonly being called a great loss and tragedy. And though on the surface it is hard not to be aware of loss of some sort, the tremendous gain and contribution of his unique voice remains impossible to lose.
Read Moreby Kristen Lamb
September 2014
In The Digital Age, human attention spans now rival an over-caffeinated fruit fly with bad a crack habit. This is good news and bad news.
The good news is readers love consuming blogs because they’re short and convenient. Blogs are perfect for capturing an audience, bonding emotionally and inspiring these microreaders to dive into something longer (like our books).
Read Moreby William Kenower
September 2014
In October of 2008 I shot an interview with Somaly Mam following the release of her memoir The Road of Lost Innocence. I had never heard of Ms. Mam or her organization. I was the Editor-in-Chief of Author, then a fledgling online magazine for writers and devoted readers, for which I conducted three to four interviews a month. Her publicist called me directly and asked if I could fit her into my schedule. I had already booked my interviews for that month, but, after hearing the skeleton of her story, agreed to squeeze her in.
Read Moreby Devyani Borade
September 2014
I’m taking a sabbatical to have a baby!’ I announced to my editors, publishers and writer friends.
After the initial wave of congratulations, well-meaning advice ('Ice cream is great for reducing heartburn!') and jokes ('A writer going out of circulation for a change, ha ha!') had subsided, conversation turned to the inevitable question. ‘When are you planning to return to work?’ they asked.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
August 2014
You will hear people talking about “Me and” in conversations all around you.
Me and Jim went to the game last night.
Me and my dad had lunch at the new restaurant.
Read Moreby Ingrid Schaffenburg
August 2014
I know there are lots of people speaking out right now about Robin Williams and I don’t mean to jump on a bandwagon here but I genuinely feel moved to speak out since the tragedy of his death brings up a very important issue that’s close to my heart. The issue of depression and the creative mind.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
August 2014
Recently, I met up with a large spider in my bathtub drain. I preferred showering alone but didn’t wish to squish, vacuum, or rinse away the visitor. So I fetched a cup and piece of paper, carefully made the transfer to the bathroom window, and set him free. As he fell to the grass below I realized how light he was, and it occurred to me it was as if he were his own parachute
Read Moreby Kristen Lamb
August 2014
One misconception is that social media’s purpose is to sell books. Yes, and no. Social media is for networking, creating community, and generating word-of-mouth (much like book signings once did). When we use social media to create authentic connections, sales will organically follow.
Read Moreby Noelle Sterne
August 2014
Football, and especially last season’s crowning game, Super Bowl XLVIII, may be only a chilly memory as the summer baseball season swings forward. At Super Bowl, chain beers drowned football fans’ shock at the performance of the disappointing Denver Broncos and their star Man Peyton Manning. Fans’ whining about the boring score that kept the Seattle Seahawks piling on the points to 43 and the Broncos unbelievably paralyzed at 8 have faded into reruns of greater games.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
July 2014
I’ve always thought of determination as a fierce mental decision-making stance, witnessed in a kind of stand off between my desire to lie around and my desire to get up – with the getting up part winning. Determination seemed like victory of will - moving me through space and time up that mountain.
Read Moreby Kristen Lamb
July 2014
We’ve talked a lot about branding, blogging, and how social media can be used to drive book sales. I’d like to address an aspect of social media many writers may not know about, one that can be a priceless asset—The Hive Mind.
Read Moreby Laura Yeager
July 2014
Three years outside of breast cancer, I can look back on the experience and finally talk about it. Surprisingly, the worst part of cancer was not the chemo, not the double- mastectomy, not the six-weeks of radiation, but the writer's block.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
July 2014
Most writers know how to write dialogue. Each new speaker gets a new paragraph, even for a single word. That’s how the reader knows the voice has changed.
“You told me you cleaned your room.”
“I did.”
Read Moreby Ingrid Schaffenburg
July 2014
As I mentioned in last month’s post, mentality work is one of the best ways to combat fear. I learned of this practice from an acting class in LA that not only taught me this invaluable exercise but deepened my love and respect for story.
Read Moreby Laura Yeager
June 2014
I teach beginning writing to college freshman. It's the ole Freshman Composition routine.
There are several things I try to convey in a single semester, including how to organize an essay around a thesis statement; use the patterns of development to create paragraphs; organize paragraphs in the most productive,
Read Moreby Noelle Sterne
June 2014
We’ve all heard the venerable advice: to learn our craft and hone our skills, read, read, read. Granted, when we first start writing, reading other writers’ work can show us many approaches and techniques, enlarge our sense of unthinkable subjects, and give us models for daring to write what’s burning in us.
Read Moreby Ingrid Schaffenburg
June 2014
Fear is something all writers encounter, and it’s no wonder. We willingly plunge into the depths of our souls on a daily basis, which can be a scary thing at times. The very thing that lures us to this profession, that makes us feel more alive than others, is also the very thing that can stop us in our tracks. So how do we handle fear when it crops up in our work? Here are a few strategies I’ve found helpful over the years.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
June 2014
Lately, I’ve been feeling drifty. I have projects waiting for me. And I do think they’re waiting. These aren’t just passing fancies; these ideas stick around no matter how I neglect them, in full anticipation of all that they will become. I even have a novel—a couple finished drafts of it—I still want to complete. I have two other stories in progress. They’re like conversations I left mid-sentence. It’s as though I said, “Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom” and have yet to return.
Read Moreby Cherie Tucker
June 2014
Let’s review of some of those pesky close-but-no-cigar uses that can mar your brilliant writing. Check these out to be sure you are using them all correctly:
Any more/Anymore: The first means additional items; the second refers to additional time.
If you don’t have any more to add than that I look fat, I won’t bother you anymore.
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