Tag: Novel Writing
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So, you really didn’t want me to consider your pages, ok, no problem — Janet Reid, Literary Agent
Reasons I stop reading before getting to your page: (1) Your query insults as many other published books as fall into “that dreck they’re publishing today.” Why I stop reading: trade publishing is not a solo endeavor. You need those “dreck” authors for blurbs, signal boosts, maybe even book store co-appearances. I know that. You… So, […]
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Writing Yourself Out Of That Funk That You’re In
Having trouble are you? Writing trouble that is. Are you finding it harder to focus and complete your writing projects or word count goals while amassed in this home quarantine and social distancing clusterf*#k? You’re not alone, as this topic seems to be the focus among all the writers and writers groups nowadays. I’m […]
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St Louis Writers Guild 100th Year Anniversary Anthology Now Available
I am proud and excited to have my short story, Edna’s Attic, included in this amazing anthology. This sleek paperback or kindle read is full of short stories, poetry, flash fiction, essays, fiction, and non-fiction, entirely created and published by the talented members of the St Louis Writers Guild. Available on Amazon and a great […]
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That’s It, Write It Down
One thing that I have learned over the years is that it can be pretty dang hard, if not impossible, to edit something that’s not yet actually written. Yeah, brilliant, I know, but for many years I wrote, trying to edit at the same time. And while typically driving me to drink, that process really…slowed…down…my…writing. […]
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Does A Change In Seasons Change Your Writing Habits?
Does a change in seasons bring changes in your writing habits? I’m voting yes on my ballot. As the daylight fades and it starts getting darker earlier, I find myself planted in my chair a little more, pecking away at my projects. But for me, it’s just because I’m an outside kind of person. I spend […]
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Fool Me Once: Authors, Don’t Do This To Your Readers
I’ve been duped. Duped I tell ya, duped. And I’m not happy about it. And you shouldn’t be either. I picked up a book by an author because of a couple of positive reviews it received. “I’ll give it a shot,” I said. “I’m always looking for new reads, and I’m always happy to find […]
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Writers Are Always Working, Even When We’re Not
Well, it’s been a bit, hasn’t it? With the writing I mean. Your WIP. More specifically, with my WIP, actually. All I can say is that life happens, you know? Family matters, when serious enough, must take precedence and get priority treatment, of course. Mix that in with the deadlines of the paying job, and before […]
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A Word Is A Word, And It Counts
Yep, that’s what I tell myself. A word is a word, no matter if it’s one of one or one of thousands. And it counts the same, so if you’re tight on time and you just jot down that first word of a chapter, paragraph or conversation, it’s one more word than you’ve had […]
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Don’t Discount Those Non-Writing Achievements And Successes
Word counts. Chapters. Scenes. We all have our way of measuring our progress, don’t we? And then, when we miserably fail to reach our goal on a particular day… and we will… we label ourselves losers, failing yet again, and never wanting to chicken-peck that terrible old keyboard again. Go ahead and feel sorry for […]
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Regaining Writing Momentum After The Holi-daze
So that big push in November for writing more, especially if you participated in NaNoWriMo, led to a giant “sigh” in December, flowing right into the holidays, after which we skated into the new year. Before you knew it, you might not have written anything constructive for a couple of weeks. Sound familiar? I myself […]