Writers on Writing: Advice from Ernest Hemingway If you’re going to listen to writing advice, you might as well listen to the most acclaimed authors in the world, right? That’s why I’m featuring this series of posts based on fiction-writing tips from literary masters. Today’s tip for writing great fiction comes from Ernest Hemingway: “To […]
About 25 years ago, I became determined to become a published Romance novelist – particularly in the Historical subgenre. Ten years and a bazillion rejection letters later, I was introduced to the idea that I could work with the Universal Law of Attraction (LOA) to become a Deliberate Creator. In other words, I could train […]
Every Mage needs an apprentice, every writer needs a Muse . . . And every character needs a name. So what writing resources do I use to create zany names for my fantasy fiction? (What, you don’t think “Queen Hoodoo,” better known as Odzilla Wyrdd, is zany enough for a sorceress?) Just for the record, […]
Welcome back guest columnist, Carrie Slager, who reviews books for The Mad Reviewer blog. This is Part II in Carrie's series. You'll find more tips in Part I of her series, Tips for Dealing with Book Reviewers.] Last week I touched on the subject of getting reviews from book bloggers. Now obviously you, as an […]
Have you ever wondered how somebody gets to hang their shingle as a "book reviewer?" Would you like to know how to make "nice" with a reviewer for your own book? Carrie Slager's guest columns have the answers. This post is part one of a 2-part series. Tips for Dealing with Book Reviewers: From the […]
For you new authors, who are dreading your first, official book signing, take heart. There’s always book signing #2. Okay, okay. I’m kidding. (Sort of.) Earlier this year, I wrote one of my more popular posts, Humor for Fiction Writers: How to Hand Sell at Book Signings. As you might imagine, this post is full […]
Today, I have Texas on the brain. And not just ‘cause I live here. I'm writing dialogue for a Texas protagonist. I gotta confess: as a born-and-raised Yankee (Pittsburgh), I didn’t have a clue how to write authentic, Texas dialect for my bestselling Wild Texas Nights series. Living in Houston (and later, Austin) didn’t help […]
I’ll never forget the time I was in the grocery store, having one of the worst days of my life. I was out of work, and money was extremely tight. I couldn’t write, because my carpal tunnels were on fire. I couldn’t WALK, because I’d twisted my ankle. I was struggling with crutches to rise […]
Writers are such creative geniuses, that they often psych themselves out. They procrastinate until they're freaked out and desperate to meet a deadline. (At which point, they become neurotic, trapped in the throes of writer's block.) Fess up. You KNOW you’re listening to your Inner Critic when . . . 1) You’ve been writing […]
Struggling with writer's block? Want to finish a novel? Then you’re in good company! Thousands of writers around the world are gearing up to write 1 whole bonafide novel over the next 30 days as they participate in National Novel Writing Month – which we writers call NaNoWriMo. (Note: If the links on this blog […]