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Fact: I am a novelist and travel writer. Fact: I have published nine novels. Fact: I don’t have an agent. Fiction: The path to publication is straightforward. Imagine a labyrinth. Erase the walls. That’s publishing. After my MFA program I stepped into the maze-less puzzle—lost. I queried the novel I had completed as my thesis. Rejection, rejection, rejection. I wasn’t cutting through the maze at all. I connected with a small publisher named Epic Press looking for freelancers to write book packages—a project in which the publisher creates the story concept and the writer creates the story. They wanted not one book, but six. A series, they said, about a voyage to nowhere, on frozen waters, with orphans. I gave them a writing sample. I showed them a short story I had published. They gave me a thumbs up. The project was a crash course in world-building. Six books written, edited, and revised in 14 months. They had another series in mind. Six new books; New Adult, about freshman year of college—a different author for each book. Was I interested? Of course, I was. Why did they like me? Maybe it was my writing style. Most likely it was the fact I turned my More

Just last night, I was assisting a grandson on how to write his paper for class. It was a paper in which he was to do research, actually do an experiment, and come to a conclusion. He wrote it per guidelines. He clearly wrote it for a teacher. That opened the conversation about defining who will read your writing before writing the piece, because it alters the flavor of the piece. For instance, if he writes a creative, fiction piece, he writes it for a certain age group, maybe a certain culture, an audience hoping for a good story . . . not for the teacher. That made him think. He hadn’t been told in class just who his audience was. Recently Literary Hub published a piece about this. Students write for the professor. The grading is based on guidelines, thoroughness, and if a point was properly made. It wasn’t written to touch the reader, educate the reader, or gain a following by resonating with the reader. It’s written for a grade. The point was a teacher has to grade the paper. That’s what they get paid to do. The student will get feedback. Quality is very subjective, and usually limited to More

I spoke at the Marlboro County Library in Bennettsville, SC this week. It was a two-hour drive, but hubby and I needed to get out, and I simply adore a good book club visit. I have been to a lot of book clubs. Each has its own temperament. This time, I was headed to a very rural community where authors don’t bother going. They combined three book clubs for a total of about 50 people. We had lovely snacks. I spoke for what turned into two hours because I was having such a great time, they were asking fantastic questions, and, honestly, we were having a ball. That little event turned into not only a fun one, but one in which I earned a room full of new readers who each intend to run through all 20 of my mysteries. The financial reward tripled what I expected. And they gave me food and flowers to take home for the trip. This was the old South that I remembered. This was a place where time stands pretty still. Yet they made a huge splash for me not just in sales of books, but in readership and long-term fans. All because I More

I was asked to review a short story collection called NSFW by David Scott Hay, and in the process learned that, surprisingly, the manuscript was entirely written and edited on a smartphone. Smartphones are capable of writing and editing stories. While they’re distinctly different from computers or desktops, phones are very effective tools when used to their full capabilities. Here’s how (and why) to consider your smartphone as a writing device. Why Write on a Smartphone? I remember being on a deadline when my computer’s hard drive failed during the height of lockdown. A replacement computer would take weeks to replace, but the next deadline had was within only hours. As a result, that month’s blog for Bridge Base Online was typed entirely on a smartphone at a hotel. Emergencies, portability, and convenience are good reasons to consider your smartphone a professional writing device. Small adaptations, like word processors and external keyboards, increase its potential capabilities. Mobile Word Processors Start with a mobile word processor and find one that’s easy for you: some authors prefer feature-heavy monsters, while others want distraction-free writing environments. I’ve tried good ones, including Zoho Writer, LibreOffice Android, WPS Office for Android, and Hemingway App. You can also link directly to Google Docs with an More

I like to scan emails on my phone, sorting and culling what I have to take action on. Then I go back to my desktop where my massive screen and lots of space makes my writing life easier to handle. What I wind up doing is deleting a lot of email on the fly, with the majority of it deleted based upon the subject and first line of the message. Seems to me that people are losing touch with the knowledge that a strong subject makes the recipient open the email. And a strong opening line makes them continue to read your proposal. I’ve rejected articles on the subject alone. I’ve also rejected a submission based upon the title of the piece. Sure, a title can be changed, but if the pitch is weak, and the title is weak, doesn’t it hold water that the piece itself will be lacking as well? Not fair, you might say, but when faced with two hundred emails a day (at least), and a long line of pitches, one just cannot afford to hope that the writing in the manuscript is way better than the the pitch or title. Same goes for book titles. More

The great thing about the Internet is the wealth of information that teaches us about writing and publishing. That’s also the worst thing about the Internet, because you become inundated with the latest and greatest advice. About the time you feel you have grasp how to accomplish or succeed in an aspect of the business, along comes change and someone else with a better idea, who swears that what used to be no longer works. This Internet yoyo can become exhaustive. We often just react to whatever it is without dissecting whether or not this change is applicable to us. Too many times we assume it’s okay because we don’t have to time to vet everything we see. On the other hand, there’s always the risk of shutting down, no longer able to absorb everything. Per business guru Seth Godin, when change stands before us, we can: Deny the change. In other words, we say it isn’t so, consider it a personal affront, and blow it off. Give up our effort, period. The powerlessness that comes from too much change makes us quit. Take control and force things our way. The new is considered wrong, without consideration. Be willing to change, More

While at my annual Edisto Beach retreat recently, partially to work and partially to get away, I picked up the local newspaper. It’s published monthly and is sort of informative, sort of gossipy, and partially public service announcements. It provides me a flavor of the beach and its people, though, I’ve learned I have to take it with a grain of salt since it has a tendency to get opinionated. But that’s one of the joys of small town living. They posted my book signing wrong. The bookstore posted October 25 when I was scheduled for October 10. The book listed was Edisto Tidings versus Lake Murray Money. The day was Friday when signings have always been on Thursdays. The bookstore owner had no idea the why and how of it. All I could do was sign for those who came per the signage at the bookstore, and then I signed all the remaining stock so anyone showing up on the 25th would at least have a signed book. Two weeks before I left for Edisto, when all this happened, I was scheduled to appear at the Newberry Opera House. Hurricane Helene killed that. The day I arrived home from Edisto, a women’s club More

What does it take to become a scopist (legal proofreader) and transcriptionist? I’ve worked for legal agencies and registered court reporters — and with training, so could you. Legal transcription is technical and detailed, however, also lucrative as a part-time income or career. What a scopist does Scopists work with court reporters and judicial services, turning raw court transcripts (“stenotype”) into coherent, readable drafts. A scopist works from a court reporter’s notes, which are transcribed using a special shorthand. Results resemble a technical dialogue, which is usually further used for reference by lawyers or in future court appearances. A scopist can also work with audio notes, for which some transcriptionists also use foot-pedals and external keyboards to make their job more efficient to play-and-pause without skipping a beat. Sometimes, the job crosses over with audio transcriptions of expert depositions (e.g. ballistics experts or doctors) or testimonies and statements, also used in court. Get trained: scoping courses There’s no official certifying body for court scopists; however, court reporters have to register with their country and/or state with a serial number. You’re encouraged to make sure court reporters are registered with the city’s court where you intend to work. Get training from a reputable training More

Since the popularity of DNA testing, millions of people have sought information about their ancestors. However, not everyone wants to do the research or write about their family history once uncovered. This opens a huge market for those who enjoy looking for dead people and an opportunity to turn a hobby into a paying gig. Creating a story around dates on a tombstone or from a marriage certificate can be daunting, even to a seasoned writer. Yet, as a writer collects more information about those being researched, much more is illuminated about the community where they once lived. Everything from home addresses and career paths can be discovered as well as local traditions and customs of the era. This basic research can serve as a launching pad for all sorts of writing opportunities, particularly when an intriguing tidbit captures your attention. For example, I thought my family’s long lineage of tobacco farming was terribly dull until I discovered the way they produced their crop proved unique to their specific region of the world. Armed with this fascinating detail, the particular geographic features, and the culture surrounding their line of work, I prepared to write. My hometown newspaper showed interest in More

True crime is an interesting topic, and the niche is more multifaceted than a diamond. Authors with a knack for research and interviewing could make this genre their best friend. I’ve written about crime scene cleaning and true crimes, interviewed reformed criminals, and learned about law. Here’s how (writing) true crime pays. Crime Scene Cleaning: A First Feature Sells My crime writing fascination started by interviewing Crime Scene Solutions (People Magazine), finding out that true crime is about co-operation between police departments, investigators, cleanup crews, and other law enforcement branches. Crime authors cover crimes, but also effects, impact, cases, and resulting industries. You’ll never tire of the intrigue, and there’s always something new to pitch. Second, I sold Cold Cases (People Magazine), investigating infamous South African crimes. For this article, I researched intensively, and tracked down Flippie van Rooyen, the son of notorious child-abductor Gert. Knowing the Law While writing The 18 Rules of Journalism for Writers Write, I made the 13th rule this: Know the law. It’s especially true within criminal and justice-related writing, even fiction where your characters must appear to have real procedural background. I have copies of the Criminal Procedure Act and laws against human trafficking, as well as databases like Justia and Lawcator.org bookmarked for reference. True crime writers More