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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

In the last three weeks, I’ve been asked to look at four books that came with great story ideas and very nice premises. The covers immediately hollered self-publishing, but, hey, there’s great writing in self-published books. I gave up that prejudice a long time ago. Truth be told, I’m still reading two of them, so that also speaks to the writing. One of those two, however, is formatted horribly. Double spacing between paragraphs and 1.5 spacing between lines. Paragraphs that go on for whole pages, which scream a need for editing. Dialogue without beats and tags that get in the way. Loads of telling versus showing in a story with vast potential for great visuals. The story, however, is incredibly remarkable. I kept thinking what a waste of a grand tale, because the numerous errors in writing got in my way of reading. The other book I’m reading is beautifully formatted. It entices me to read a story that doesn’t necessarily draw me in. Attention to detail gives the story some sense of promise. In the other two that I ceased reading, I could hear the author trying too hard to be an author. Too many mistakes. Too much in More

Did you know there are grant opportunities for those with disabilities, including those in the neurodivergent community? One came from my home state, Colorado, through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). After years of struggle as an independent author, a glimmer of hope emerged when I learned about the DVR grant. You see, I have bipolar disorder. Unique Perspectives I’m not unique. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, reports three percent of U.S. adults are afflicted. Ten percent are diagnosed after they’re fifty. This was me when I was fifty-one. I spent a week mental treatment facility and years getting used to my new life. Bipolar, along with related symptoms like depression and ADHD, places me in the neurodivergent community. Basically, our brains process information differently from what’s considered typical – whatever that is. Those with dyslexia, OCD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are part of this group. This doesn’t mean we’re disabled. In fact, we probably work with or hang out with you. Yet, sometimes, we have issues with everyday routines. Money For example, earning a living. As creatives, we would love to sit at our desks and write. However, fatigue, anxiety, loneliness, and wrong decisions take over more for us than for “typical” More

I was in my forties when I started a new career in writing, and it took me a little while to realize the importance of saving everything. My first published piece was a 900-word essay for a publication called the Dana Literary Society. I proudly saved the link but deleted the essay from my documents. I already had the link to the published essay, right? No need to keep the original file. A year or so later, I discovered that the publication and website no longer existed. My link was useless. That’s when I decided to save all my writi ng, published and unpublished. I started by printing a copy of everything I wrote and placing it in a desk drawer. When I began having success in several areas, including short stories, plumbing and home repair articles, and essays for parenting publications, it became clear that I either needed to make a change or get a bigger drawer. I decided to give my printer a break and enter the twenty-first century. Everything is now organized in files on my computer and backed up on flash drives. I use Microsoft Word for most of my writing and have OneDrive turned on More

When we feel things aren’t fair, when we feel someone got a step up that we deserved, when we feel we write better than someone else yet they got published, we stand at a crossroad. At that point, we have a decision to make. To feel we should get what someone else got, or to feel someone else wasn’t as deserving, we tend to grip hold of a feeling we call entitlement. At that point, we can decide to move on, direct our energies into progressing, or we can wallow in a sense of unfairness. That feeling of life being unfair can gravitate into bitterness, then a desire to bash those who managed to achieve what we wanted and didn’t. Then we start hunting for reasons to lash out, we fuss to social media, and we channel ourselves into thinking we were short-changed. We wind up disliking others for their success. All that energy is wasted and stolen from being productive, from finding opportunities, from improving ourselves so that we, too, can be productive. Avoid the spiral of feeling negative. Applaud those who do well, study them, and work to improve. When we fuss and argue about feeling robbed, we’re More

Formal and informal writing groups have been around for hundreds of years. Hybrid authors clubs are newer, rising in the 2000s and are becoming a staple of how authors connect with professionals and readers today. “Hybrid” writing groups exist IRL (or in real life), but also connect with other communities online – often internationally. Find Your Group There’s an appropriate writing group for every interest, experience level, and niche. Define what you hope to get from a group, and then analyze what you can give back in return. Hybrid groups sometimes meet in person, but also welcome online members. I barely leave the house, but I connect daily with my writing groups and message boards. I’d put writing groups in two columns: formal and informal. Mystery Writers of America (MWA), the South African Writers Network (SAWN), and the Horror Writers Association (HWA) are formal; they require membership, but offer formal benefits like insider industry information. Informal groups like the Self Publishing Support Group (Facebook) are useful for: advertising, critique, finding readers, and talking grammar or plots. Facebook, Reddit, and TikTok connect to the best, lively writing groups. This Reddit discusses reputable /r/WritingGroups, and this Write Life Guide lists active Facebook-run writing groups. I wrote a short guide More