Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
Two mistakes writers make when it comes to backstory are:
Tim Tomlinson, in The Portable MFA in Creative Writing, tells us backstory is: [Read more…] about Backstory in Your Novel: Getting It Right
Show don’t tell.
Does this piece of advice kink you up in knots? Writers hear it all the time from various angles—other writers, editors, and conference workshop instructors.
When I first starting writing, I struggled with it, too. Too many of the blog posts I read only talked about it and never showed any examples. Sample sentences go a long way in helping me recognize mistakes in my writing.
In a recent webinar Q&A, attendees expressed their difficulties with show don’t tell. So today, I’m offering several examples and some explanations that I hope will help you get untied.
Kudos to my client Donna Wittlif who has allowed me to use 2 excerpts from her WIP as illustrations. [Read more…] about Show don’t tell: Dissecting what it looks like
Sometimes it takes all the willpower I can muster to put my butt in the chair and write.
By day I’m a freelance editor/writer and by night an editor for CrossRiver Media. I’m single and my children are grown, but I still have all the household chores to do.
Work, eat, sleep. Work, eat, sleep. My motivation wants to hop a train to Denver, and leave me behind to the comfort of the couch and a mind-numbing DVD.
Because I’m self-employed, I can give in to this lack of motivation for a day. I justify it by telling myself I deserve a day off. But then a day becomes two and sometimes three.
Do you ever have days like that? Weeks maybe where you lack the motivation to work toward your dreams?
I’m guest posting today at BirdFaceWendy.com. Join me there for the rest of this post.
My head’s abuzz with thoughts coming fast and furious.
And all because of those little quizzes that pop up on Facebook. Then the next day I got an email from Bryan Hutchinson’s blog, Positive Writer, that prompted me to download and read his free ebooks Good Enough and The Writer’s Manifesto. Those things combined helped lead the way for me to put an end to a limiting belief I’ve carried for decades.
So what does this have to do with you or with writing? [Read more…] about Seek and Destroy Your Limiting Beliefs
I’m pleased to have award-winning author Catherine Ulrich Brakefield here today. Her inspirational historical romance, Swept into Destiny, released this week. Swept is her fifth book and the first of the four-book Destiny series. Visit Catherine’s blog and learn more about her and view her books.
Catherine, what or who inspired you to write this book?
Swept into Destiny is a work of fiction; however, my grandmother and mother inspired the story.
My grandmother was of Irish English descent with a little Scottish peppered in for good measure and a hint of Cherokee Indian. Through my grandmother I learned [Read more…] about Research and What Happens When You Get It Right
Let’s admit it, writing a book is hard work and takes time. It’s not something you can do in a day or two. But you can write the draft of a magazine article in a day, and then spend the next few days revising it.
And one of the best ways to hone your skill as a writer is to write for magazines. (Tweet this.)
You can also make greater use of your time by first querying magazines with your idea. Then when a magazine buys your idea, you write the article.
Finding magazines for your article ideas [Read more…] about Hone your craft by writing magazine articles. Here are 7 options.
In today’s publishing world, writers perform a wide variety of jobs. A local writer friend of mine discovered that for herself recently and related her frustration to me.
It would be great if a writer could just write. Instead, we are called to be editors, graphic designers, marketing majors, and social networkers. ~ Stacey M.
Navigating the publishing world is essential to all writers. This is especially true for those who choose to take the indie publishing route, as many are doing.
But having sole responsibility for getting your book out into the world doesn’t mean [Read more…] about Resources to help writers also be editors, designers, and marketers
Today, I’m visiting with author Dave Driver about his experiences with independent publishing.
Dave says, “I should probably start with a caveat. I am much more abstract in my approach to most things I do in life than concrete-sequential. So, what you read below might resonate with abstract thinkers and not so much with concrete-sequential thinkers. I do not believe either approach is superior to the other except as where it best serves each individual. I do believe all approaches can and should be handed off to the leading of the Holy Spirit.”
Learn more about Dave at his website.
What factors did you consider in your decision to publish independently? [Read more…] about Indie Publishing: One Man’s Journey, an interview with Dave Driver