Tomorrow I’m flying to Nashville to attend a writers’ conference (Killer Nashville). I’ve been attending writing conferences for more than thirty years, and I always come home having learned something. On Saturday morning I’ll be on a “Romantic Suspense” panel. I’m feeling a bit unprepared. Although, in the past, I’ve written what I (me, myself) […] [ ... ]
Last week the Authors Guild put out a survey regarding how much writers’ earnings have dropped. The survey covers the years 2009-2015. The results aren’t overly optimistic. I thought I’d summarize a few of the key points. I recommend going to this site and reading the entire report. Author Earnings Survey Wages: For full-time authors, […] [ ... ]
I’ve been looking at books I’ve written over the years, and I’ve discovered I either have a very limited “name” vocabulary or I simply like certain names. Carl keeps showing up in my books. No, he’s not the same person. He’s never been a hero. (At least not as far as I can remember, and […] [ ... ]
The other day I had lunch with two writer friends, and we started talking about point-of-view, which segued into the difficulties of writing first person pov, which segued into writing past tense or present tense. Lately I’ve read several books written in the present tense. It usually takes me a page or two before I […] [ ... ]
This past week I’ve been reformatting and updating Destiny Unknown, a romance published by Bantam Loveswept back in 1997. I’ve been lucky with this one. I had the original manuscript on a 3″ disc and a friend just happened to have a computer that could still read those discs. (None of my computers can.) I’d […] [ ... ]
Nowadays most writers post on Facebook, tweet or retweet on Twitter, write blogs, blog hop, hold contests, put on Facebook events, create video chats, and… Well, the list goes on and on because writers are constantly trying to find ways to reach readers. And the advantage of the Internet is we can be everywhere—in the […] [ ... ]
I’ve done several critiques recently, and I’ve also had something I’ve been working on critiqued. In the process, I’ve come across five errors that all writers need to keep in mind when editing their work. 1. Rushing through a scene When working on early drafts of a story, getting the words on paper (or on […] [ ... ]
In the last two weeks I’ve seen an email about a publisher that isn’t paying its authors, and I received a phone call from an woman wanting to know if she should sign a contract with a publisher for her cook book. In the case of the woman with the cook book, as soon as […] [ ... ]
Yesterday I was walking my dog, thinking about the book I’m planning to write, and it dawned on me that creating a story is a lot like building a house. First thing a writer/contractor needs is to decide what kind of story/house it will be. Flash Fiction/Tiny house? Saga/mansion? Something in between? Then, of […] [ ... ]
Lately I’ve been seeing posts about prologues. Evidently some readers, agents, and editors hate them. Some well-know writers use them. Many readers skip the prologue and go straight to chapter one. New writers are often told to avoid using them, to label their prologues as chapter one. Who’s right? I’m one who believes there are […] [ ... ]
I found it interesting that I recently received a contract from Five Star Publishing (FiveStar/Gale/Cengage) that had specific information about copyrighting my book and, at almost the same time, received an email from the Authors’ Guild that discussed the topic of copyright. A lot of times new writers are so afraid their work will be stolen […] [ ... ]
I would like to start by thanking everyone who visited the various blogs that hosted me during my Eat Crow and Die Blog Tour. And congratulations to Patrick Siu who won the gift card. How do you start? That was the question asked by a new member at a writers’ group I attended yesterday. The answer, […] [ ... ]
On one of the on-line groups I belong to the discussion has been about blogs (Are they worth the time and effort? Do they help sales?), and commenting on blogs. (Are you being rude if you don’t comment or does it matter?) The topic has also included other social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Goodreads). […] [ ... ]
Last week I met with a writer working on her first novel. I tried to explain how the writer needs to give the reader a character or characters to care about right away, that a complete physical description isn’t needed, but there should be enough information that the reader can form some sort of image […] [ ... ]
Last week I put on my first (and maybe only) book party. I couldn’t call it a book release party since my two books actually came out the end of May and first of June. But it was a party, and I did sell books. The idea of having this party started last summer. I […] [ ... ]
Last week I talked about how much I hate having to give reviews because even if I dislike a book someone else might love it. As a writer, I’m really facing a dichotomy. One of the top ways books are sold is through word-of-mouth, and if we take word-of-mouth one step further, it’s through reviews. […] [ ... ]
“Good writing is like a windowpane.” George Orwell I have reached a point where I hate to give reviews or critiques. I read a book or a manuscript, and I love it. Someone else comes along and tears the writing […] [ ... ]
I’m often asked where I get my ideas. The idea for Eat Crow and Die came to me back in 2008 when a boat exploded on the Black River in South Haven, Michigan. The explosion injured two men, a woman, and a child. Back then I didn’t know how I would use that idea. It […] [ ... ]
I’ll admit, I’m more plot driven than character driven, but I learned early on that it doesn’t matter how good a plot might be if the readers don’t care about the characters, that book isn’t one they’ll remember or maybe even finish reading. And if I manipulate my characters so I can achieve the plot […] [ ... ]
I’ve just about reached my limit on the emotional and physical energy needed to publicize my books. I’ve blogged, guest blogged (I have a few of those still to come), talked to groups (and scheduled talks) created rack cards (twice since I had to change the release dates from what I’d originally been told), made […] [ ... ]