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“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon . . . My goodness how the time has flewn.” (Dr. Seuss). For years, this was my reaction after realizing that I have missed – again! –  the pitching deadlines for seasonal and thematic articles. But not anymore. I found a simple solution […]

I have been asked a few times of late about whether a writer should hire an editor before pitching to an editor or agent. After all, if those gatekeepers love the idea, won’t they provide an editor to clean it up? 1) Editors cost money. If they receive a manuscript with a great idea that ALSO […]

I read the best essay about writing today from a writer named Angela Yuriko Smith who manages the Substack page and newsletter called Authortunities. She’s pretty cool and has some great ideas. We don’t agree on everything, but I love how she justifies her thoughts. She’s smart and she loves helping writers. Today she spoke of Protecting Your Lightning. In […]

Writing is a primary source of income that should be stored in more than one location. When you don’t do this and your hardware crashes, you risk missed deadlines, kill fees, and strained client relationships. In addition, you feel frustrated and angry as you try to duplicate what was lost from memory or notes. As […]

In a recent chatroom, someone asked if there was any hope left for struggling writers with so many other writers taking shortcuts with AI. My response was that if fear of AI knocks you off your game, maybe you aren’t playing the right game. Many of us live in fear that we aren’t being productive […]

I declined a speaking opportunity this week. One in a very reasonable distance from me, as a matter of fact. This time of year often fills my calendar with such requests, which thrills me. I love doing events. But they must be worth my investment of time, travel, and book sales. In this case, it […]

Many freelancers struggle with consistency, especially with pitching and idea generation. We all know we should keep a pitch tracker so we’ll know when we’ve sent something out and when we can expect a response. But if that’s all we’re doing, it’s easy to lose focus. Most of us are goal-oriented or reward-oriented. We like […]

I just spent a week going back and forth with a freelance writer who wanted to see his piece published in this newsletter. TO be honest, the piece had great potential. I needed some changes in it, and he quickly accommodated. The message had purpose. I hadn’t had red flags before then, but while he […]

Strong submission guidelines are the cornerstone of being a published author. If you know which publications are receptive and paying, you’re ahead of the writing race. However, good guidelines can be difficult to source, and they’re individual to every author. Here’s how to sift through the pile and find the golden guidelines. Searching for Pages […]

Writers look at contests for entry fee, word count, prize money, potential publication, and which influential judge might be on board to read the entries. But what is also important to note is the rights you give up if you win. . . or maybe even if you just enter.   Begin with understanding why […]

I’ve been writing for a long time. I’ve written novels for just under 20 years though I’ve officially published for 14. By now, a lot of people know I write books, and when I’m introduced to someone new and they learn I write books, I can talk it off the cuff with no problem. It’s […]

As writers, it’s vital to be able to summarise what we offer in a few brief interesting words – as much for ourselves as for the readers we want to reach. Whenever I write any article, let alone a book, I begin by drafting a rough lede which sets out the essence of the piece, […]