Category: How To and Tips
My Long, Winding, and Very Crooked Writing Journey
By Sharon M. Peterson I’ve secretly always wanted to be a writer. But life has a way of detouring dreams like that. I got married. I taught middle school. I had four kids, two with special needs. I quit teaching to stay home and became a professional at a variety of things, including: arguing with […]
Expanding Your Author Life – A Case Study: PART ONE
PART I: Expanding Your Author Life – A Case Study by Grace Sammon Two authors, who do not know of each other, launch their new books at the height of the pandemic. Both are women, one is mid-40s, one is mid-60s. The elder woman (gosh that’s tough to write), we will call her “G,” has […]
Writing Success Built Through Connections By Janis Robinson Daly
Writing Success Built Through Connections By Janis Robinson Daly Networking isn’t just for suits in a C-suite. Why it’s important for authors in attic garrets, too. Picture the stereotypical scene of a writer. An attic room, locked away for hours, months, years, toiling in an endless loop of a solitary existence, writing, revising, reading. According […]
Historical Fiction Writing Tips by Ellie Midwood
Historical Fiction Writing Tips: If you’re an aspiring historical fiction writer or a reader wondering what makes certain books stand out, here are some not-so-secret “rules” to writing a compelling historical fiction story. Do’s: Do your research. I cannot stress this one enough. Thorough research is the holy grail of any historical fiction novel, so […]
Reasons to Hurry Up with that First Draft
Reasons to Hurry Up with that First Draft By Lynn Sloan Writing a novel takes time. Between writing the opening line on the first draft to typing END on its last page, months and usually years have elapsed. For most of us writers, planners or pants-ers and those in between, the first draft involves false […]
How Horticulture Has Influenced My Writing – Maureen Hartman
Not all writers take the traditional path toward their craft. A degree in creative writing or modern literature isn’t always our first calling. Some meander, wandering through one course of study or career path after another on our way to our desired destination. Neither is wrong, and without the life experiences I’ve had on my […]
The Healing Power of Writing One’s Own Story – by Renee Linnell
RENEE LINNELL is a former surf model, a professional Argentine Tango dancer, and a serial entrepreneur with an Executive Masters in Business Administration from New York University. She made her publishing debut in 2018 with The Burn Zone, a memoir of her experience as a cult survivor. Her latest memoir is Still on Fire. The […]
Behind The Scenes Of The Gambling Industry: Writing Casino Queen
I worked in the casino industry for a long time. As a child watching Ocean’s Eleven, casinos seemed so grown up and glamourous. They were open 24 hours, which made them so alive. On a summer hiatus from teaching school, I drove to Lake Tahoe Nevada and quit my job. I never felt lonely working […]
Break a Leg to Become a Writer by Aga Lesiewicz
Break a Leg to Become a Writer by Aga Lesiewicz As my literary hero Margaret Atwood said: ‘You become a writer by writing.” This is absolutely true, there is no other way. But life can make it difficult: the job, the family, the kids, the never-ending litany of everyday chores. So, you put it off: […]
Writing Romance When the World is Burning
Writing Romance When the World is Burning By Jo McNally, author of When Sparks Fly If you’re looking for a one-size-fits-all solution for writing through chaos, I’ll let you know right now it doesn’t exist, in this article or anywhere else. Mainly because each of us is in our own unique chaos, which seems to […]
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