By Cynthia Ruchti I admit it. I’m hyper-interested. I find everything fascinating and what isn’t fascinating is distracting. So imagine trying to focus to write a synopsis, a proposal, a chapter, a grocery list. Maybe you can identify. Melting icicles drip from the eaves troughs as I key in the words “icicles drip.” And although their rhythm and sparkling beauty …
It’s Time to Quit Social Media
By Edie Melson It’s time to quit Social Media. Yep, you read that right. The Queen of social media is telling you it’s time to QUIT social media. NOT permanently (thought you were going to get out of it, didn’t you!), but I’m suggesting you take a break periodically, and re-examine your plan. I used to keep up with social …
Mining Your Life for Stories
By Marta Perry A number of years ago, I taught an evening adult class on journal writing. When the time came at our second session for participants to read their work, I felt a little apprehensive. What if nobody was willing to read? Would I be left with an hour of class time to fill? I shouldn’t have worried. The …
Writing Contests and You!
By Roxanne Rustand ACFW is a wonderful source of education, networking, and industry information, and offers another opportunity: its annual contest for unpublished writers. There are other non-ACFW contests during the year as well. Entering contests can be very helpful, and here are a few reasons why: 1. If your critique partners have seen your work over and over, they …
Discouragement Prescription
by Becky Wade Just four short syllables, but discouragement can have enormous destructive power in the life of a writer. Most of us who’ve been writing for any length of time have encountered seasons of it. Here are just a few of the things that can cause the onset of a case of discouragement. Do any of these sound familiar? …
What if we Plot a Writing Path for the Year Ahead?
By Judy Christie Many writers start terrific stories by asking a simple question: What if? “What if?” leads novelists down the merry story path, scene after scene, chapter after chapter. Those words ignite fiction magic. Anything can happen. As you assess your writing for the year ahead, “what if” can also bear fruit in a practical career way. That question …
Can One Person Make a Difference?
by Suzanne Woods Fisher “Don’t worry what you could do if you lived your life over; get busy with what’s left.” Amish proverb Can one person make a difference? Even a woman who might be, say, considered a wee bit elderly? Consider Victoria Williams of Richmond, California. Eleven years ago, when Victoria was 77 (did you catch that? She was …
For Your Review
By: Suzanne Kuhn, SuzyQ The all important book review — as an author you understand the importance of them. Agents, publishers, critique groups, and author friends all discuss book reviews. There’s exhilaration in a great one, and disappointment in a bad one. We see requests for them on blogs, facebook, and twitter. But if an author is honest, there can …
Island Girl
by Jennifer Sienes Almost seven years ago, I quit my “day job” as a middle school teacher to write full time. I’m well aware that it’s a blessing to be able to devote entire days to my writing endeavors when so many of my contemporaries must snatch an hour here or there between work, kids and life. Or as Monk …
Do We Judge a Book By Its Cover?
by Jill Elizabeth Nelson When we are choosing our next novel to purchase, how much of our decision is influenced by the cover? For me, covers certainly play a part in first attracting me to pick up one book over another. However, I like to read the back cover copy and perhaps sample a bit of the contents before I …