IT’S A DYSTOPIAN WORLD IN PUBLISHING
I attended half of a dozen writer’s conferences in 2011. I met scads of great people and learned a boatload about the publishing industry. Good times. But despite all of the positive, one major issue loomed larger than all informative seminars combined–the shifting book market. While I have nothing against those who self-publish, (who knows, I may go down that road), I am rather tired of hearing all of the… GROSS GENERALIZATOINS Everyone is self-publishing. It’s...
Read MoreWRITING GOALS THAT STICK
How do people do it–write 5,000 words per week, crank out dozens of short stories, or even a novel per year? They must have a secret formula. Some cerebral superiority, or maybe high tech software that prods them when they aren’t looking. The rest of us lowly writing humanoids need a plan. A REAL, honest to goodness plan. So here it is. A plan to help you ditch your crappy writing habits and get cranking. Be Honest Take a good look at your habits. Do you spend half of your...
Read MoreHappy Holidays, One and All
Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year…last and NEVER least, peace on Earth, good will toward men. I’ll be doing a little of this: A little of this: And a lot of this: See ya’ll next...
Read MoreBreaking Out of the Editing Funk
In a self-destructive editing funk? Yeah, me, too. These are the issues I’m wading through: Not covering enough ground per day Self-doubt: will it ever be good enough? Balancing everything: character development, foreshadowing, symbolism, authentic dialog, inner struggle, raising the stakes, pacing Scenes & sentences are running together Here is how I’m dealing with them: CREATING NEW HABITS KNOW WHAT YOU’RE WRITING ABOUT Begin each writing/editing...
Read More7 Deadly Sins of the Twitterverse
Avoid the seven deadly sins of Twitter or you’ll surely go straight to #TwitterHell in a hand basket. #7. DRUNK PICTURES I like to have a good time as much as the next guy, but don’t give free fodder to those who may want to crucify you later. DUH. #6. RETWEETING IMPERSONAL LINKS Sharing relavent articles is great. Go for it—SOMETIMES. Show your sparkling personality inbetween the blurbs of hard news. Just spare us the talk of laundry folding and toilet scrubbing. #5. DIRECT...
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