Pros and cons of working on multiple projects “What are you writing?” That’s a hard question to answer. These days, I have three major projects going, not to mention a bunch of shorter ones in various stages of rewrites, editing, or under consideration for being trashed, never to be looked at again. Right now, I’ve …
I thought I was crazy to attempt NaNo this year. So far, I was wrong. Instead, I’ve learned a lot about writing, how I write, and the excuses I make for not writing. First, I learned that careful plotting is extremely helpful. Before I start writing, I look at the chapter summaries I wrote (usually …
Life sometimes gets in the way of things we are trying to achieve. For me, the last few weeks have been spent waiting on my husband as he hobbles around on crutches after bunion surgery, and helping my sister-in-law settle her affairs as she is losing her battle with cancer. So I thought this week …
What if I don’t have time to write? I often ask myself. Visions of unfinished projects left unwritten swirl in my head, along with myriads of marketing strategies I’ve started and forgotten about. When life crashes in me, how will I get any writing done, let only sell any of it once it is finished? …
Reading writing books is one of the best ways I have found that helps me improve my writing. My problem is that my list keeps growing and I don’t find (or more honestly, make) the time to read any. So I’ve compiled a list and set myself a goal of reading one every month. The …
What makes a great book? A wonderful story that is well-written is the usual answer, but that just sparks another question: what makes a great story? Most often, those who study literature mention the five elements of a story: character, setting, plot, conflict and theme. Character involves the people in the story: the hero/heroine, the …
Recently I had a conversation with an aspiring author, and she told me what she learned at a writers’ conference she had attended. “Independent authors are basically selling first drafts. They aren’t taking the time to polish their work, because they know they won’t make any money unless they crank out lots of books. A …
One of the most difficult lessons I struggled with when learning how to write a book was in the area of point of view. In other words, from whose eyes will the reader see the world as portrayed in the book? A person writing autobiography or their own memoir has it easy. They simply write …
What’s the best tip for writing a book? Write a good one. That’s both harder and easier than it seems. With all the tools and resources of the internet, anyone can publish a book for little or no cost. Many authors who were thwarted in their quest to publish when they couldn’t interest a publisher …
Yesterday’s post listed four of my big mistakes in writing and publishing my first book. Here are five more: Mistake #5: Don’t get lots of feedback Feedback is essential to any writer. Not only can other readers pick up pesky typos or clumsy sentences, but they can help in numerous other ways, as in pointing …