Category: How To and Tips
Should Everyone Publish a Book?
I was chatting with an acquaintance recently when we got onto what I’d been up to lately. “Just finished my second novel,” I chirped, certain he’d be mightily impressed. Instead, I got a judgmental pause followed by: “You and everyone else on the planet!” Umbrage was taken, but the comment did strike me… as sort […]
Q&A with Trisha Ashley
1) What are your top five writing tips? a) Writer’s block (and see question 3): if you come to a stop in your novel and can’t see a way forward, then employ lateral thinking and walk around that big rock, or tunnel underneath it, or do a sharp right turn and go somewhere else. But […]
The 10 Commandments of Southern Writers
Southern writer F. Diane Pickett is the author of the National Indie Excellence Award-winning book “Never Isn’t Long Enough.” She shares her 10 commandments of Southern Writers with us. (l) You must have been “raised right” so deep in the South that you can get to Atlanta without a road map and know that Buckhead […]
Reviews, a Game of Give and Take
We all know how much the world of publishing has changed in the last few years. The gatekeepers have been swept away by self-publishing. Anyone can write a book, and offer it for sale on Amazon. And anyone can write a review and post it. So much democracy! So much freedom! Is this a good […]
The Inner Critter: Awareness First, The Writing Will Follow
I recently had a woman come on my Haven Writing Retreat and say, “I learned more in five days of Haven than in my entire MFA program…and I’m still paying it off six years later!” I hear this sort of overture all too often, and it concerns me. I also hear, “I’m still chiseling my […]
Write for Victory!
Apologies in advance for starting this post with a negative thought, but it has to be said: there is a lot of disappointment in the business of writing. It is an inescapable part of the job which can make it difficult (to say the least) to keep moving forward, to keep trying, to keep writing. […]
Survival Guide to Writing an (e)Book Series
There have been many interesting things I’ve discovered about being a published author over the past twelve months, and many challenges that I wasn’t expecting, including the amount of time edits take, the need for exhaustive promo and the sheer amount of hours required at the laptop. Last summer I was presented with one of […]
The Literary Salon And How To Have One
A literary salon is all about exploring the riches of one’s heart. Contrary to what I have believed, it seems that Les Grandes Dames des Salons Parisiens were not the first to start that noble tradition during the sixieme et septieme siecles. Others got there first. The poet and scholar, Al-Khanas, recited her poetry en […]
Finding Your Writer’s Voice
A writer’s voice is a tricky thing. Every writer knows that they should have it, every publisher is certain that they want it, and every reader needs to trust it in order to be able to enjoy the reading experience. And yet it is also a nebulous thing, a curious thing, and an instinctive thing. […]
As an Author, Do You Need an Intern?
An ‘intern’ is the new literary or arts apprentice which is more skilled than ‘work experience’. And some can be VIRTUAL interns, working from anywhere. ‘Self –employment’ is an increasingly important choice for creatives and our culture needs more entrepreneurs AND authorpreneurs. Until now, I’ve avoided having an intern. Despite requests to provide work-experience for […]
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