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4 Big Pitfalls in Story Openings
Learn about four of the biggest pitfalls in story beginnings: false suspense, prologues, dream sequences, and too much backstory.
The Collapse of a Writing Routine—and How It Was Restored
The widow of Elia Kazan writes about the disruption of her writing routine, and how it was eventually restored.
How to Increase Your Odds at Getting Lucky
Learn how self-published novelist Ransom Stephens landed a two-book deal with Amazon—without even querying.
Audience Development for Writers: Your Life-Long Career Investment
In this talk from the 2013 Midwest Writers Workshop, I explain the process of growing my readership since 2008, then share a few key principles I follow to make it an enjoyable and sustainable process.
Better Than Fall Back: The Small Press Option
Some writers think a small press is something you have to make the best of. Yet small presses can often serve as a first—even best—option. Three case studies show why.
Does Twitter Make Sense for Most Writers?
Is social media a waste of time for writers? Is it possible, in the end, to just focus on writing?
How to Sell More Books By Optimizing Your Metadata
One of the biggest challenges in publishing today is discoverability, particularly at Amazon and other major online retailers. You can ensure your book is found more easily by optimizing your metadata—here’s how.
The Problem With Overly Nice Characters
What’s wrong with overly nice characters? To begin with, they’re boring. This is because they can’t abide conflict, and smooth it over every chance they get.
3 Reasons Why a Facebook Page Can’t Replace an Author Website
Regardless of when or why you use Facebook, never consider it a replacement for an author website you own and control. Here’s why.
5 Traps of the Imagination John Grisham Helped Me See
I had 7 an overflowing shelf of rejection notices when John Grisham—a friend and neighbor—took me under his wing and taught me his writing secrets.
How to Connect With More Readers in Just 5 Minutes
If you’re having trouble finding your audience, your message may not be connecting with readers on a personal level. Here’s how to fix the problem.
How to Identify and Remove Trivial Detail From Your Stories
Writers are often advised to fill their scenes with rich detail—to show, not tell. However, taken too far, you can clutter or bloat your story with too much irrelevant description.
Why Editors Focus on Page One
Editors can tell within a couple pages if a manuscript will be acceptable to them. How? What makes this decision so clear to an editor and so muddy to an author?
Best Business Advice for Writers: May 2013
Best Business Advice for Writers is a list of the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing.
5 Ways to Find the Right Freelance Book Editor
If you’re ready to hire and work with a freelance editor, learn how to find qualified candidates, plus how to properly evaluate them.
Infographic: 5 Key Book Publishing Paths
This infographic breaks down the key 5 publishing paths, their value to authors, the potential pitfalls, and examples of each.
Should You Self-Publish? 15 Questions
Self-publishing is not for every writer—you must have specific traits. Ask yourself the following 15 questions before you decide to go it alone.
How to Be Less Scared of the Blank Page
“The way in is something I’ve always struggled with. To write, I need to enter a whole other state of mind, where time slows down.” —Ella Mei Yon
3 Ways to Improve Your Author Website Today
To maximize the effectiveness of your author website, it’s necessary to study the data behind how people find your website, navigate it, and use it. Here are three of the most important areas to watch carefully.
5 Ideas for Using Pinterest as an Author
How authors, especially novelists, can start using Pinterest in a way that’s a natural outgrowth of their work.
Agent-Assisted Self-Publishing and the Amazon White Glove Program
There are no “rules” for agent-assisted self-publishing, but the biggest drawbacks are usually loss of control and loss of royalties. All authors should negotiate a contract beforehand that protects their rights and lifetime earnings.
Your Story Opening: Shock vs. Seduction
A reader is drawn into a story in one of two ways: shocked or seduced. This is called the hook, and it must be in the first three paragraphs of the text, preferably in the first sentence. The hook also sets up the initial pace of the story, which is maintained through the beginning of the tale.
5 Publishing Industry Trends for Writers to Watch
Most writers are aware that the publishing industry is undergoing a range of transformations, new beginnings, failures, and consolidations. But there’s so much change it can be difficult to weed out and understand the most relevant and important changes—especially when hundreds of opinions seem to surround the smallest change. Based on industry conversations I’ve had in the last six months, as well as reports I’ve read by people I trust, here are five trends that writers should keep a close eye on.
It’s Time for (Many) Experienced Writers to Stop Blogging
Author L.L. Barkat argues that writers who already have experience—as well as authors trying to promote themselves—should stop blogging.
If You Struggle With Plot, Here’s How to Think About It Differently
The notion of “plot” is a misconception that leads too many writers to get confused and focus on all the wrong things. Instead, writers should focus on using the plot-free concept of series. A series is the repetition and variation of a narrative element within a story, the process of improvement or deterioration which creates the narrative arc.
Best Business Advice for Writers: February 2013
Best Business Advice for Writers is a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the business of writing and publishing.
What Has Changed About the Writing Community Since the 1990s?
I answer a few questions about the publishing industry today, and what I think has changed about the writing community since I got into the game.
How Long Should You Keep Trying to Get Published?
Don’t you wish someone could tell you how close you are to getting traditionally published? Don’t you wish someone could say, “If you just keep at it for three more years, you’re certain to make it!” Or, even if it would be heartbreaking, wouldn’t it be nice to be told that you’re wasting your time, so that you can move on, try another tack (like self-publishing), or perhaps even change course entirely to produce some other creative work?
