Recently Dawn Dowdle from Blue Ridge Literary Agency sent out this advice to all her author prospects. These are a few things she runs into on a regular basis that detract from the overall quality of a submission. This is excerpted with her permission. I thought it worthy of sharing as the advice is something [...]
Want to immerse your readers deeper into your book? Need to keep their attention to the very last word? Here are five steps you should always take before submitting a manuscript to a publisher--or if you self-pub, do it before you even think about publishing. Even if you have someone editing your work, use these [...]
So, today I'm lazy on blogging...and industrious on something else. I am installing a security system for someone and writing 2000 words on the MIP--a masterpiece in progress (tongue-solidly-in-cheek). Lack of quality blogging seems to be my mode of operation lately. That said, I found these cool blog posts in the wee hours of the morning while I [...]
Every once in a while I find a site that sounds like a great tool for writers and I like to pass on the information. This one looks interesting. They specialize in helping build your platform, as well as marketing tools and author consultation. Take a look: http://www.juneclark.com/getthere.html Oh, and I met some of the [...]
So, you think you can write, huh? Well, I did too. Until I wrote my first manuscript and sent it to every editor, publishing house, and friend of a friend that knew someone who's sister worked for something to do with books. Then I accepted that while I have a brain overcrowded with all sorts [...]
Persistence is one of those things that can be good or bad. When it comes to almost any artistic endeavor, the longer you work at perfecting your craft the more likely you will be to succeed. There is a theory in business (proven actually) that it takes somewhere around 10,000 hours to become an expert [...]
A long time ago I created this list on Goodreads (hoping someday I'd be submitted to it of course) and haven't looked since. I checked it out this morning and was excited to see so many great responses. Soooo, here's your chance authors, readers, and friends. Please add to the list and get the word [...]
Here is an excellent resource on writing point of view, Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View. I would highly recommend it to any and all writers. Point of View is one of those areas that a writer can really stumble--badly. From a reader's perspective, it's doubtful that anyone ever notices how an author [...]
Is there a similarity? Hmmm. It sounds catchy doesn't it? Recently I had an email interchange that I tried to analyze to determine what the other person thought and give an appropriate response. Having worked for ten years as a technology professional in a large mental health agency, I had been exposed to a great [...]
At the San Francisco Writer's Conference this weekend, I attended a session called "Meet the Fiction Agents". It had a panel that included Kimberley Cameron, Liz Kracht, Jill Marsal, Taylor Martindale, Laurie McLean, Michael Neff, Rayhane Sanders, Ken Sherman, Nephele Tempest, Becky Vinter, and Gordon Warnock. These Agent gave information on what they were looking [...]
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