Many writers associations offer critique groups and if you've never participated in such a group, consider doing so. Although you must be willing to read and comment on the writings of other members in the group, it is well worth your time to participate in a critique group. There are benefits that come from the feedback you'll receive as well as from reading other writers' drafts. The most obvious benefit is to learn how other people perceive what you submit. You may use beta readers or … [Read more...] about Join a Critique Group to Improve Your Writing – Guest Post by Peter G Pollak
Confessions of an Author – Guest Post by Tory Richards
I've read over and over how a lot of authors’ love of books has led to their writing careers. Other than school books and fairy tales I didn't read the first real book until I was sixteen. It was my first romance novel, Sweet Savage Love, and recommended by a friend. That hooked me on reading romance, but my desire to become a writer happened long before any of that. I can still recall the short stories I wrote on notebook paper, some while in school, when I was ten. At thirteen I received a … [Read more...] about Confessions of an Author – Guest Post by Tory Richards
Conquer Your Writing Foe – Guest Post by Jeannie Kaye
Many people have a book inside their head or a strong yearning to pen a novel. What’s keeping them from putting pen to page (or finger to keyboard) and getting that book written? As a multi-published author, with over 22 books on the market, I believe the key to starting and finishing a book is conquering its greatest enemy. Fear. Particularly hostile to the aspiring novelist are the fear of people and the fear of failure. Let’s explore these two forms of fear and how to eliminate them so you … [Read more...] about Conquer Your Writing Foe – Guest Post by Jeannie Kaye
Well bless her heart! – Guest Post by Duffy Brown
I do declare… I live in Cincy but sort of moved to the South when I started to write the Consignment Shop Mysteries. I had to suddenly start thinking and living like my characters. I guess I’m a bit of a method writer like there are method actors where they live the part to get into the part. I had to acquire the taste for sweet tea, I do love fried okra so that was already in place but I no longer carry Chapstick in the back pocket of my jeans but have instead learned to wear lipstick … [Read more...] about Well bless her heart! – Guest Post by Duffy Brown
Character Creation and Research Tips – Guest Post by Paul DeBlassie
The stronger the character in terms of capacity for both love and rage the more compelling they are and it is in this that the true character is birthed. Love and rage are in essence the nests in which the characters are cared for and nourished and then allowed to fly free. I find that I must dip into my own capacity for primal feelings of love and rage in order to discover that aspect of myself that is like the character, has been like or felt like the character feels in the situation. It’s … [Read more...] about Character Creation and Research Tips – Guest Post by Paul DeBlassie
Test-Reader Feedback: Find the “11th Thing” – Guest Post by Gregory Faccone
Not Only Sifting, But Some Baking Required If you can spell, put two sentences together, and have enough patience, you too could write a book! But the real question is, "Is it anything anybody would want to read?" The road to that crucial answer may lead to the brave, the trusted, the select few you will choose to be test readers. Pick well, and with care, for the fate of your work may depend not on the feedback they give you, but on your interpretation of it. First, branch out and pick a … [Read more...] about Test-Reader Feedback: Find the “11th Thing” – Guest Post by Gregory Faccone
When Overwriting Was King – Guest Post by Robert Shaw
In my debut novel, The Scare, I’ve been accused by Kirkus Review of overwriting: “…a tedious torrent of overwriting…” is how they put it to be precise. And I agree! The Scare is overwritten. But what overwriting! It’s a darned good story with great characters, which is all that matters. Heck, my style is to overwrite. So is Stephen King’s and Larry McMurtry’s and they’re both doing just fine. Another guy who was big on overwriting, and who was around decades before King and McMurtry, was Robert … [Read more...] about When Overwriting Was King – Guest Post by Robert Shaw
Why Bother? The Two Deadliest Words to a Self-Published Author – Guest Post by Kyoko M.
Y’know what sucks? Being unemployed and your books not selling at the same time. It’s not just the lack of money, either. I’ve been unemployed before back when my second retail job went under thanks to rent issues in 2012. The funny thing is, the first month is kind of a like a honeymoon period. You wake up when you want to, do what you want to, don’t do what you don’t want to, and feel this general sense of relaxation since you don’t have a set schedule as you don’t have to go to work … [Read more...] about Why Bother? The Two Deadliest Words to a Self-Published Author – Guest Post by Kyoko M.
Creating Narrative Tension – Guest Post by Bill Johnson
Creating Narrative Tension by Bill Johnson Narrative tension is the tension characters in a novel feel about unresolved and unfulfilled events and needs. When characters in a story are blocked from gaining what they want, they experience narrative tension. When acting to gain something increases a character's pain (because the story/storyteller increases the obstacles) a character in a story experiences increasing narrative tension. In a nutshell, a storyteller creates a character … [Read more...] about Creating Narrative Tension – Guest Post by Bill Johnson
Is reading a luxury or a necessity? – Guest Post by Erin Bell
"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. " ~Charles W. Eliot Take a moment to think about what reading is for you? A hobby? A way to kill some time? A way to escape from the daily problems into a different world? An entertainment? An addiction? A necessity? Or all of them? For many people reading is a luxury (or at least they think so). There are people who read every day, others read once in … [Read more...] about Is reading a luxury or a necessity? – Guest Post by Erin Bell
If You Want To Be Successful, Read This – Guest Post by JeanNicole Rivers
Being a writer has many complicated aspects, from the actual writing to the publishing to the marketing and promotions. Since publishing my book, Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers (http://tinyurl.com/cgvgd98), I have gathered enough information about this business to fill The Grand Canyon. While in the process of writing a book, you learn many things, there is one most important thing that you must learn, that you must know and that you must accept. It is a lesson that I learned as a … [Read more...] about If You Want To Be Successful, Read This – Guest Post by JeanNicole Rivers
GOOD OLD ADVICE: WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW – Guest Post by Karen R. Koenig @KarenRKoenig
OLD BUT GOOD ADVICE: WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW When I started writing silly poems as a young child then moved on to adolescent, angst-filled poetry, I wasn’t thinking about writing for an audience. All I wanted was to put pen to paper. In the first instance, I suppose I enjoyed the simple pleasure of creating rhymes, although I certainly wasn’t conscious of my motivation. In the second, I was looking for a way to express the anguish I felt throughout much of my teenage years. As an adult, I … [Read more...] about GOOD OLD ADVICE: WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW – Guest Post by Karen R. Koenig @KarenRKoenig
