I attended a ‘live’ two hour writing workshop through SCBWI: Hook, Line and Sinker: What Catches the Editor’s Eye with Scholastic editor Natalia Remis. It was an amazing workshop and not only was the information excellent, the editor gave the first page of the attendees’ manuscripts a critique! I try to keep up with the…
Tag: writing tips
Fiction Writing – Do It Right
I’m reading a book on writing fiction. It’s “Writing Fiction – The Practical Guide From New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School.” It’s written by the Gotham Writers’ Workshop faculty and Alexander Steele is the author of Chapter One, Fiction: The What, How and Why of It. Steele explains, “Promising ideas + hard work = good…
Writing – Time Management and Organization
When I first started out in my writing career, I began to think more and more about organizing my writing. But, I was in what I call, slow mode. I worked on my stories with the intent to eventually… hopefully get published. However, I was in no rush; writing came after everything else I had…
Publishing Your Book the Hybrid Way
As with everything, the publishing industry has changed. With the difficulty in getting a traditional contract through queries and proposals and the hands-on learning and doing of ‘real’ self-publishing, there is a third option: Hybrid publishing. So, what exactly is hybrid publishing? According to Ingram Spark, “Hybrid publishing combines some elements of traditional publishing with…
3 Reasons Why Editing Should Come Before Self-Publishing
Self-publishing is an amazing beast. It has brought the world of publishing into the hands of you, Joe, Beth, and everyone and anyone who wants to write a book. It has brought writing power and freedom to all. But, with writing power and freedom comes responsibility. This means that while it’s true that self-publishing has…
Opening Paragraphs
Contributed by Suzanne Lieurance What’s perhaps the most important part of anything you write? The opening paragraph, of course. Yet many times, that’s the part writers have the most trouble with. They end up with an opening paragraph that is too long, too unfocused, and doesn’t really lead to what happens next. With that in…
Writing Success – Do You Really Have the Power?
The question in the title has been asked for hundreds, probably thousands of years. The simple truth of the matter is you have the power. You are in control of whether you become successful or not. Most of it has to do with your thought process. Zig Ziglar said, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will…
Making a Fiction Story Work – 5 Key Elements
Think about the last time you read a story that stayed with you. A story that made you feel. A story that took you on an adventure or had you sitting on the edge of your seat. A story that made you cry or laugh . . . or think. These types of stories have…
Is Your Protagonist Multi-Dimensional?
Does your protagonist have one, two, or three dimensions? Between your characters and the plot, you develop a story. If the mix is right, and the characters are believable, you can create a story worthy of publication. While there are many articles about creating believable characters, it’s an important topic and reminders are always in…
Self-Publishing – 3 Perks and 4 Warnings
It seems the majority of people are self-publishing. With the limited traditional publishing opportunities, it only makes sense. In addition to the difficulty in getting a traditional contract there are at least three perks to going Indie. 1. You are in complete control.2. Getting your book published and available for sales will take a fraction…