I am not an organized writer. I rarely have a detailed plan before I start a story, and what little pre-planning I do have is almost never written down. But even as an organic writer (I resent the term ‘pantser’) I can see the advantages Read More …
One of the best known tips for writers is to be well-read. This has been said hundreds of ways by hundreds of authors, poets, and lecturers. Perhaps one of the best known variants comes from Stephen King: ““If you don’t have time to read, you Read More …
1. I’m pretty sure I’ve already read this book. 2. Do you have any books for sale that you didn’t write? 3. I gave your book a one-star rating. My plan is to add stars to keep track of my reading progress. I’ll get started Read More …
1. Have you heard of that 50,000 word novel that doesn’t include the letter E? That’s my favorite book. 2. I don’t like negativity. Could you rephrase every criticism as a positive statement? 3. If I mention you in my foreword, can I get a Read More …
For an author, there’s no substitute for contributing to your project’s overall word count. It’s the act of interpreting our random thoughts and ideas into paragraphs and chapters that sets us apart as generative artists as opposed to wishful hobbyists. But what if you just Read More …
As a parent, one of the many pleasures that I enjoy is sharing movies with my children that were formative building blocks in my own childhood. Recently, I decided to introduce them to Bedknobs and Broomsticks from 1971, a magic-infused musical film attempting to rediscover Read More …
1. What’s the real price on these books? 2. Could you not personalize the autograph? It degrades the resale value. 3. You’ve got five seconds to convince me to spend my money here. Go. 4. Can you break a $100? I want to go buy Read More …
I tend to reserve my announcements for my monthly newsletter, but I thought that my fans and creative writing students would appreciate a comprehensive update on all of the various projects and activities that are going on in my world. Check out some of the Read More …
This may be a personal preference, but whenever I’m browsing through novels at an author event, I’ll usually open to a few random pages and look for some dialogue. Generally, if I can’t find any dialogue at all, I’ll put the book back down, since Read More …
In my role as a freelance editor, I see a lot of job posts seeking the assistance of an experienced, professional editor. Many of these are generic job listings from companies looking for SEO experts and fact-checkers, but there are also a fair share of Read More …
