Ah, what writers do! Or should I say, what writers shouldn’t do!As an editor and book reviewer, I cringe when I see a manuscript fraught with beginner’s mistakes. It is not only that the manuscript looks disorganized, if I am editing it, before doing anything, I need to hammer it into proper format, which can… Continue reading “Are You Neglecting Your Manuscript?” by Stefan Vucak
Every budding author wants to see his masterpiece published, preferably by one of the traditional book publishers. After all, that’s where the fame and money is, right? After accumulating a stack of rejection letters, thoughts of ending it all bubbling in the background, reality starts to sink in. There are lots of writers out there… Continue reading “Decline of E-book Publishers” by Stefan Vucak
I am sure someone famous once said that genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Not sure about the genius part, but in writing, the rest is certainly true. When I wrote my first novel, and I use the term ‘write’ loosely – good thing it will never see the light of day… Continue reading “Turning that Inspiration into a Book” by Stefan Vucak
I’m fond of quoting this advice from André Gide: “Throw away my book: you must understand that it represents only one of a thousand attitudes. You must find your own. If someone else could have done something as well as you, don’t do it. If someone else could have said something as well as you,… Continue reading “Write the Book Only You Can Write!” ~ by Bruce Hartman
There are lots of things authors should not do when writing, like indiscriminate shifting point of view between characters, churn out your novel without a detailed outline, frequent usage of the same word, overusing slang…there are others. What I want to touch on here is the usage of adjectives.
Rebecca Berta shares her notes from the Emerging Writers Festival in Melbourne in this great article. Thanks Rebecca!
If writing simply meant putting words on paper or into the computer, we would all have lots more fun. However, our readers might not think too much of our efforts. All of us have spent our primary school and high school years learning English: spelling, grammar, sentence and paragraph construction, writing essays…the memories are coming… Continue reading “How to Self-edit Your Novel” by Stefan Vucak
Originally posted on WordServe Water Cooler:
I recently read an account of a celebrity and her young daughter which captured the concept of feedback from a unique perspective. Having completed a Google search, the daughter was troubled to find that strangers were saying all kinds of things about her famous mother, both positive and negative.…
Yeah, I can hear you groan already. Not another plug to have your work edited. You’re telling yourself, I’m a good writer and I don’t need anybody fixing my typos, thank you. Those blood-sucking worms out there are just out to get my money. That can be true, but it doesn’t remove the need to… Continue reading “You Always Need an Editor” ~ by Stefan Vucak
Flash your Fiction is a new blog that is seeking submissions for already published books. The site accepts excepts of 500 words or less and a link to where your book can be purchased. All genres or fiction and non-fiction accepted. The central concept is to allow for readers to quickly browse the writing style… Continue reading “Flash Your Fiction: A New Promotional Site for Books” ~ by Paul Ruth
Don’t miss out on one of the best marketing techniques on the web today just because you aren’t familiar with the process. Article marketing is one of the easiest marketing methods online, and it’s low-cost too. If you use tips like those referred to in this article, you will find success in utilizing articles to… Continue reading Here’s A Good Summary Of Article Marketing Best Practices
An adage proclaims everyone has a story to tell. Some aspire to tell their story by means of the written word. Perhaps like me, you sat at a computer, clicked away at the keys until one by one the words appeared, forming into page after page and chapter after chapter. Whether it is a story… Continue reading “Does this sound familiar?” ~ by Philip Catshill
Effective writing begins with the Four Cs—ensuring your work is Correct, Consistent, Clear, and Compelling. Though the editor is there to help the author ensure all of these, the author can—in fact, is responsible for—creating the best work possible to begin with. It takes a little extra time, but excellence can’t be rushed.
We all like to think appearances don’t matter, that we are nice people and not the kind that judge or treat people by the way they look or what they wear. If only that were true. I personally have never forgotten, a few years ago, watching Susan Boyle shuffling onto the stage for an episode… Continue reading “Judging Books By Their Covers” by Roger Gerald Scott
Is it the idea, the imagination of the thing? Is it the author’s style of writing, crisp and concise to intricate and elegant? Is it the polishing work that should happen once the writing is done, from editing, proofreading, cover design, formatting, etc.? Is it a combination of all of the above or some other… Continue reading What Makes a Book a GOOD Book?
Have run across a site, mentioned on a LinkedIn group discussion forum, and really want to get this public’s opinion. The site talks about one voice for self published authors and giving credibility to authors that self publish, comparable to those that traditionally publish. It’s set up on a volunteer basis and books are judged eligible… Continue reading indiePENdents Seal of Approval?
Originally posted on All That's Written …:
Or How to be productive in spite of Social Media screaming in your eyes? Lately I have been asking myself this question. Not only that, but I’ve noticed other authors and bloggers have wondered about it too. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love interacting with my friends…
Great tips on Perfecting Scenes in Writing!
Just do it! It’s up to you. If you’re uncomfortable about tooting your own horn, get over it, because if you don’t, your book will sink into the vast ocean of eBooks never to surface again. You have to market your book boldly, broadly, and inventively; tell why you’re special and enabled and why readers… Continue reading “On Promoting Your Book” by Charles Ameringer
What are writing exercises? Targeted activities to help writers learn and grow. These exercises are not as painful as training for a marathon but can definitely be as rewarding!
Originally posted on bottledworder:
I write well. Therefore I must be a writer. No, that’s not enough. Those of us who may still be young enough to think about our career approach towards writing and bold enough to believe that we can make a livelihood out of it (or at least a life by which…
Try being there for your readers constantly. Make a habit out of interacting with them. Keep the social in social media marketing or it doesn’t work and blogging is as much a part of this type of marketing as Twitter is. You don’t need any advanced degrees to succeed in writing your blog, simply being passionate… Continue reading “Quick Tips for Writing A Successful Blog”
If you have heard of Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus, you surely know that marketing through social media channels is the next big thing. Like many people, you might be wondering how you can harness the power of social media to your business’s advantage. This article has a number of tips to help you in… Continue reading “How To Be Successful With Social Media Marketing” by Maria Bennett
Sometimes there is so much going on in my brain, or sometimes nothing, which is not good when I need it to have something. During those time I just need to clear my head.
So, what’s the big deal with article marketing? What is it all about in the first place? Well, it is the simple practice of creating written content and publishing such articles online on any of the hundreds, if not thousands, of article directories found on the Internet. Now directories that post article submissions can cater… Continue reading “What are the Top 10 Benefits of Article Marketing?” by Brian Blogs
Originally posted on Creative Writing with the Crimson League:
Yesterday, I wrote about the reasons we love “Happily Ever After” in stories, and why we are drawn to fairy tale endings. While I do love and need the occasional fairy tale ending, most of my favorite novels–including Les Miserables and Don Quixote–have endings that are…
I think balance is the thing many people struggle with, especially women. Society expects women to be the caretakers of the family and home. But in today’s world, women usually have to also hold a job, whether it be outside the home, or like the lucky ones, working from home.
I’m a self-published author and I want book reviews. So, like all good self-published authors, I troll around to find blogs that review indie books, and I send them sweetly worded book review requests. Sometimes I don’t get a reply back at all. Sometimes the blogger will write me a more personal rejection, and every… Continue reading “Why Is It So Hard To Get A Book Review?” by Nikki Bennett
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