Crafting the Perfect Outline Identifying 5 Major Plotpoints
We can all agree on one thing: there is no one perfect recipe for cooking up a good story. The same goes for crafting an outline. Trust me, I’m elbows deep in it, and everywhere I seek advice, I’m given a different perspective. I am a big fan of Dramatica‘s approach, but at the same […]
Top Ten Ways Authors Can Use Twitter to Promote Books
140 characters: part treasure map, part scavenger hunt. I’ll admit, I prefer Twitter over Facebook. My friends (the real ones, not merely FB “friends”) faithfully post to Facebook, which to a self-absorbed writer working from home with little more than a silent cat for company, means I must dedicate segments of time to read posts […]
Free Your Pen — Eric Maisel’s advice for “Wishing”
Have you ever read a book on the writing process that could not simply be read, savored and applied to your practice? Unable to sit quietly on your bookshelf amid other volumes of writing advice, certain publications stir your inner creative force and cry out to be shared. (If you would like to tell us […]
8 points to consider when writing your synopsis
As I regrettably procrastinate over writing my novel synopsis, cherished writing time slips through fingers that ought to be on the keyboard. There simply isn’t time for procrastination, either. This summer ought to be my most incisive lesson on focus; with my children’s wildly varied summer schedule requiring me, your humble fiction writer must perform […]
5 secrets of writing winning book proposals
Five Secrets of Winning Book Proposals http://www.anthologiesonline.com/Articles/book_proposal.htm Event I’m attending: http://www.barbarademarcobarrett.com/speakerseries/ Pen On Fire By: Melissa A. Rosati co-active coach, whose clients are writers, authors and creative artists. Cornered in frozen foods at the grocery, black-tie events or at the bus stop, I’ve been ‘pitched’ as we say in the business, with such book […]
5 Tips for Writing More, Writing Better. Cultivating a laser-beam focus
Last week, we lost our Internet connection for more than two full days. The initial shock rendered me temporarily immobile. What could I possibly do? I couldn’t work without connection to the outside world…. could I? No, the pain and discomfort was too much to face. I decided instead to get my car keys and […]
Improve your writing by slashing adverbs–Here’s how
Today’s educational and enlightening guest post is from the creative mind at My Literary Quest, authored by Utah resident “tsujigiri.” I feel an immediate kinship with this writer; like me, she has had a story to tell for more than a decade and is finally pursuing her dream of writing a fiction novel. Her distractions are/were […]
Anne Lamott’s tips for growing your creative spirit–and sense of purpose.
I offer you a guest-post of sorts today in the form of excerpts from Time Lost and Found by author Anne Lamott which I just found in the always pleasing Sunset magazine. As a mother who is a freelance writer and editor working from home, I often place my own needs (especially creative diversions) at the […]