By Barbara M. Britton Have you heard the word platform? Authors are told that they must have an electronic connection to readers in order to make their story a bestseller. Authors toil at increasing their newsletter followers, posting on several social media platforms, and are busy gathering these connections for reviews around launch day. There is reason behind this madness, …
Tips to Help You on Your Journey to Publication
By Amy Clipston People often ask me what the secret is to getting published. I don’t believe there is a secret to getting published, but I do have a list of activities that may help writers on their journey to publication. 1. Join a Writers’ Group I accidentally found the website for a local writers’ group while searching for a …
The Power of a Writing Partnership: Part I
By Frank A. DiBianca Whether one is a beginner, a recently contracted novelist (like yours truly), or a seasoned, book-a-year pro, it’s hard to overstate the importance of having a writing partnership. A look at my own writing partnership may be illustrative. Now, I’m not speaking about professional (i.e., paid) services, which are unquestionably valuable and indeed indispensable. I mean …
Who is in Your Writer Community?
By: DiAnn Mills Most people believe writers lead a solitary life. But a professional writer thrives on community. We writers can’t achieve measurable success without surrounding ourselves with others who share our goals, dreams, and values. In this context, a community is a group of people who have expertise and passion for the same interests. In a writer’s community, each …
Six Tips for a Low-Stress Book Release Month
By Sarah Sundin Book releases can be the most exciting times! Seeing our books released into the wild is the fulfillment of our writerly dreams. But they can also be hectic and taxing. This week my thirteenth novel, When Twilight Breaks, releases. Here are a few tips for navigating your release month with grace—tips I’ve learned the hard way. Plan …
Called to be Light in the Darkness
By Lana Christian Photo by Nathan Jennings on Unsplash John Krasinski’s program Some Good News was a light in the darkness of 2020. Between March and May, it garnered more than 72 million views and 2.5 million YouTube subscribers. We sure could use more SGN episodes (hint, hint, ViacomCBS). But 2021 hasn’t eased authors’ social media comments about lack of …
Nom De Plumes
By KD Holmberg There is a plethora of reasons authors choose to write under a pen name, or non de plume, rather than the moniker given to them at birth. I am one of those authors. My reason is nostalgic, a wistful nod to beloved relatives that have passed away, and an unusual tradition I found in my family tree. …
Writing Fiction is like Flying a Sailplane
By Frank DiBianca We had landed at the Memphis Soaring Society’s operation at the Forrest City, Arkansas, airport. My wife, Kay, a new private power pilot, had flown us in on a Cessna 172. The hangar and airfield were empty except for the Pawnee towplane, its pilot, and the ground launch crew. A sailplane instructor had just landed the two-seat …
Approval versus Love
By Tara Johnson Approval and love are not the same thing. It’s taken me a lifetime to figure that out. I desperately want people to like me. The thought of someone being displeased with me in any way causes my stomach to curdle. What’s one way to shake that cold feeling of dread? Work harder. Be more agreeable, more likeable. …
How to Photoshop Your Moods
By Kristi Holl In addition to a Covid family death, I lost two friends in December, plus my last (and favorite) uncle. Along with grieving, these losses caused a severe autoimmune flare-up for two weeks. With Christmas around the corner, I found it difficult to feel the joy of the season. And writing? That felt out of the question, so …