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People are so uncomfortable these days about anything subject to opinion. With just me stating that people are opinionated these days, will most likely result in emails asking me to define what my true intentions were in even saying so. That’s how sensitive people are. These days, we are afraid to write what’s in our heart, for fear of what others will think or how they will judge. We are afraid not to read what the world is yelling at us to read. We are afraid of getting something wrong. So much noise. A lot of people are likewise curling up into their hidey-holes to avoid the racket. A lot of writers are not writing. Some wrote me just last week, unsubscribing from FFW because they are fearful of writing anymore. In a time when the world is screaming and nobody is listening, be true to yourself for sanity’s sake. Write the story on your heart. Write for the publications that call to you. Read the pieces that will add quality to your life. Listening to too many opinions will dismantle you. Those who disagree with me, my stories, my website, or anything I attempt are just not my people More

The middle grade market is blowing up and authors are scrambling to get their share of the pie. It’s a big pie that seems to have room for everyone. As authors we draw a fine line between what kids deem fashionable reading and adults find cultivating, but how do you the author authentically write in middle grade voice? Of all the manuscripts submitted, only a few will shine enough to merit the prestigious favor of publishers, editors and agents. A major part of the appeal seems to be the ability to genuinely cross over to young readers. Most of my titles are middle grade, and when I speak at Writers’ Conferences, schools, libraries and Comic Cons, I will read an excerpt of a title. Many of the time I’m asked “How did you capture that voice? It sounds like a kid. How do you do that?” There’s no secret to this, but I guess as adults, we tend to forget the jargon, the feel – the voice of youth. Writing for kids can easily turn into a grown-up preaching, or talking down, and that is the last thing a young reader wants. They won’t get past page two before they More

Recently, one of the many groups I follow asked all of its members to join a review group for the summer. The goal was to review each others books, because it’s so difficult to get book reviews. For every review you received you owed a review. All you had to do was list your name, the title of the book, and where you’d like it reviewed. The message explained that writers wanted reviews as much or more than anything else. More than reader connection, contest wins, best-selling status, and sales growth. The intent was altruistic, but I decided against the offer. I’m asked to review books all the time. So much, in fact, that it can erode my goals. I review on Amazon and Goodreads every book I complete reading. My goal is 38-40 books per year. I’m ahead of my goal. I also have in mind the books I want to read for that list. Realistically, I understand that a book can cross my path that I never expected to capture my attention, and I may let it cut in line. But the books on my to-be-read list are: mystery, suspense, and/or on my local book club list. And More

“Write a page a day and in one year you’ll have written a book,” they say. I’ve heard this piece of wisdom many times by many people to the point it can’t be attributed to anyone. I’ve even been known to share it myself, because it makes such simple sense. If you write alongside a day job as I do, getting that one page down is often all you can manage. But what if writing even one page a day turns out to be too much? Lots of things can happen to derail you over the course of twelve months. Last fall, I was on a roll. I spent the summer writing the first in what I hoped to be a series of six graphic novels. Just as I started work on the second book, life took an unexpected turn. My partner suddenly developed an infection in his leg, which required tons of medical appointments, two surgeries, a long hospital stay, and many months of recuperation. Plans for the graphic novel series went out the window. Overnight, I became my partner’s main caregiver and took over the entire task of running our home while keeping up with my day job. More

Gonzo journalism is a nonfiction style made famous by authors like Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson. Chaotic and crazed, Gonzo puts the journalist in the middle of their feature. Gonzo journalism uses facts, but also embraces emotion and first-hand experience. Here’s how I found my way to Gonzo journalism, and what can happen when you take the ride. Gonzo (By Definition) In 2020, I published a feature to the online site Bridge Base Online about the closure of an illegal care facility. Mainstream news had already covered the basics (Sunday Times; ‘Last Round for KZN Care Center’). My journalistic partner and I checked in as patients, two disabled writers. Within weeks, we saw owners provide a free flow of alcohol to Alzheimer’s patients. Official-looking paperwork didn’t check out. Their food made us ill, and our medical files showed that strong tranquilizers were being administered. At breaking point, we were threatened and the exits locked. As disabled writers, caregivers seemed invaluable – until we arrived. Caregivers weren’t qualified, documents were false, and the place had an illegal pub. Day-by-day, we saw more. I wrote nights, while my partner collected evidence with much risk. We submitted reports everywhere, including the Department of Social More

As an aside, my Facebook page is where you’ll see a lot me, find review requests (which means free books), hear opinions, and experience giveaways. I’m limited to 5,000 friends, and yes, I consider them friends. I hit the 5,000 mark often and have to spend crazy time getting rid of the odd closed accounts here and there to make room for new friends, but if you cannot be a friend, at least follow me. There are 2,500 of those at present. They still get the same material, opinions, and opportunity. Anyway . . . recently on Facebook I posted a call for submissions for FundsforWriters on a particular topic. In an hour I had four serious people interested. I asked two of them to entertain the opportunity seriously and send me something on spec. What I liked about both of them is that they came back with suggestions on how to cover the topic. Then one asked if he could submit a three-part series. The other asked if I would raise my rate from $60 to $75 since that was closer to what she regularly charged. Since both of these writers had websites and a history of freelancing and publishing, they More

On a whim, and since I have a book coming out this week, I asked this question on Facebook: List the top three conditions required for you to buy a book at full retail price. It didn’t take long for 250+ commenters to come forward with 426 replies. The trends popped up early and maintained their leads throughout the exercise. Several posters begged me to reveal the results. After counting and recounting, here are the reasons someone will throw down money and pay full price for a book. 110    Author 39    Topic/genre 33    Will keep for rereading/keep for research 30    Cover/cover copy/cover blurbs 26    Reviews/recommendations 24    Series 23    Support a bookstore 22    On a whim/want it now/super convenient at the time 21    Available money at the time 20    First page/content/readability 18    Format (font, ebook, audio, hardback, etc.) 16    Event/signing/autograph 10    Gift 7    Not available in the library 7    Book club read 7    Local emphasis 5    Airport purchase 4    Need something to read/TBR list is low 2    Publisher identity 2    Fundraiser purchase Number one, the author, flew out of the chute and stayed ahead the entire race. Readers love settling in with an author, developing a relationship with the author, feeling More

Part of every day, I scan newsletters, reference sites, suggestions, and requests to post markets, contests, grants, and freelance gigs in FundsforWriters. One would think that the title FUNDS FOR WRITERS would ring a bell to most, but amazingly, some do not grasp the concept that we ONLY consider opportunities that pay. In my humble opinion, or not-so-humble opinion for that matter, publications that ask that you submit and not expect payment, are engaging in thievery. They can call it a generous donation. They can promise you notoriety. They can profess to be fledgling, independent, nonprofit, or all-volunteer, but to ask you to spend hours penning a piece and send it to them for free . . . and them make even one dime on the results . . . is theft. One journal had this posted on their submissions guidelines: “(SAID PUBLICATION) is independent and non-profit-making, thus we do not make monetary payment to contributors.” And they went on to say, “If you are so kind to make a donation to (SAID PUBLICATION), please mention it in your submission that you have done so. We will then give you a more speedy (usually within a week) and personal reply.” Can More

In the summer of 2021, as COVID slowed, I found myself with spare time, so on a whim I started a cancer memoir. In addition to the writing, I awoke one night, husband snoring beside me, with an original concept on how to structure the book. Lesson #1:  When the spirit moves you, record your discovery right then. I had breast cancer twice, once in 2011 and once in 2016. Last year in 2021, my oncologist “fired” me, saying I was done with treatment, and having reached the end of that journey, I felt compelled to write about cancer. I was thankful, and my memoir concept had to do with the gifts I’d been given during my cancer journey. Friends gave me tangibles such as hats, food, cards, religious jewelry, and books on cancer, but they’d also given me intangible, or spiritual, tokens of their support and love. Such intangibles included their humor, their conversation during chemo, and memorable rides to radiation. The book came out quickly, and by August, I’d completed over 12,000 words, but the length was too short for a traditional book. Most books are at least 50,000 words. It wasn’t a short story; it wasn’t a More

“Man is born as a freak of nature, being within nature and yet transcending it….The human being would indeed go mad if he did not find a frame of reference which permitted him to feel at home in the world in some form and to escape the experience of utter helplessness, disorientation, and uprootedness. There are many ways in which man can find a solution to the task of staying alive and of remaining sane. Some are better than others and some are worse. By “better” is meant a way conducive to greater strength, clarity, joy, independence; and by “worse” the very opposite. But more important than finding the better solution is finding some solution that is viable.” ~ humanistic philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm, The Revolution of Hope: Toward a Humanized Technology (public library) As writers we seek satisfaction in our work. We love doing it. We love having done it. However, there are parts of the process that are not very palatable, like marketing for some . . . and editing for others. To listen to some writers, one would think they are in agony, from beginning to end. They want an easier way to be good, be More