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I make a point of walking up to an author’s table and talking to them, often buying their book. Having spent many an hour in their shoes, I understand the difficulty of sitting there (they ought to be standing, but that’s another article). Invariably, I’ll look at the book, and if I cannot tell who […]

Novel writing software and word processors are faster, fancier, and more feature-filled than your old typewriter. However, are they any better than your old word processor for getting jobs done? Here’s a look at various writing software, what they cost, and how they work. Scrivener Scrivener gets rave reviews, and it’s a favourite of bestselling […]

Many writers are afraid to throw away work. It could be something they can’t seem to sell, or it could be the original version of a chapter rewritten. It could be that perfect sentence that someone told you to cut out, that you can’t see to let loose of. It could be a scene you […]

Google crawls, scores, and then ranks all online content. Search results are based on these rankings. Writers can have an advantage by understanding how Google scores their online writing. Here’s how search engines read. What Google Scores   Google uses more than 200 ranking factors to score online content for searchability. Readability and keywords, domains […]

Your author photo is like your handshake. What does it say about you? We often feel uncomfortable with our author photos. However, if you don’t have one—or if you use some other alternative—you appear to be hiding. Readers and clients will have a harder time relating to you. I’d go so far as to say […]

Many storytellers have an unquenchable thirst to share their tales with the widest possible audience, often with agnosticism toward medium or format. This is why so many book authors have tried their hand at screenwriting – Agathie Christie, John Steinbeck, Stephen King and J.K. Rowling to name a few. Toiling away to satiate this thirst […]

Right now in these trying times I find it a little difficult to read social media, but on the other hand I can hardly keep away from it, amazed at how the world seems to be on fire. One evening, it literally made me tear up at the animosity and sarcasm. Honestly, some folks just […]

The writer’s workshop model remains one of the best ways writers receive feedback. We share our work with a group, and everyone chimes in with ideas and suggestions. Early in our writing careers, we learn about structure and grammar through the workshop. As our writing improves, we begin to learn about character development, plotting, and […]

I have finally cleaned up my social media such that I only see things nonpolitical and/or non-adversarial. Finally I can get back to business and breathe a better sigh of relief. That’s because I unfriended three dozen people and snoozed that many more. Do they have a right to speak up? Yes. Do I have […]

Some of you have seen my social media of late. It’s not very active except to say I am hiding a bit behind pound cake, coffee, and my stories to avoid the universe. These are hard times. Don’t get sucked in. Write. I’ll be the first to tell you it’s difficult to claw past the […]

Writers with experience in specific subjects are encouraged to use their niche, especially when breaking into the writing world. Holly Lisle used nursing experience for her debut novel Sympathy for the Devil, Justin Gustainis turned bodyguarding experience to supernatural fiction for Black Magic Woman — and if you know more about a topic than other […]

In a recent success story, T. Jensen Lacey had a curious thought, dared ask for an interview, and dared pitch the piece. See what resulted. Her daring-do got her a fantastic assignment. (See Below) I once noticed a turf grass magazine. Keep in mind my degree is in agronomy, so there are still areas in […]