What are emotional markers for writers?
There’s a tongue-in-cheek video circulating with the theme “Everybody should write a book.” The farcical theory is that it’s not that hard. You don’t really need skills. Anybody can do it. All authors are …
If You Build Your Audience Too Soon
What can happen if you build your audience too soon?
Nobody knows. It’s never happened in the history of writing.
Worst case scenario is you build your audience too soon:
You reach out to people, serve them with your words, …
Time for Writers to Retire
Yes. It’s time for writers to retire (cough) a few old favorite but now worn-out words, methods, habits, phrases, and punctuation marks.
“But my high school English teacher told me…”
Is your high school teacher in publishing? Makes a difference.…
Writer Office Gossip
I remember the day I gave up gossip.
For me, it was part of my spiritual journey. Every time I saw gossip in a list with murder, adultery, stealing, and other vile practices, I felt smugly “safe” from all the …
Writing from a Place of Gratitude
What if writers stopped writing from a place of inspiration and instead wrote from a place of gratitude?
As we turn the corner from a season marked by words like thanksgiving, thanks, grateful, Books & Such Literary Management doesn’t only …
Ready, Set, Send
It’s not far into childhood before we learn the “Ready, Set, Go!” game. Parents, arms extended, could simply say, “Jump!” and the toddler would happily respond. But even the rhythm and anticipation of “Ready” (not yet), “Set” (not quite), and …
Speaking and Writing
Speaking and writing. They seem closely related, don’t they? And yes, they often are. A speaking ministry can lead to published books, and authors often find the need to polish their speaking skills to help connect with audiences who will …
The Baseball Approach to Writing
‘Tis the season for baseball. And for taking a look at the baseball approach to writing.
Whether you and your family follow major league baseball, Little League, your local minor league team…or even if you are not a fan of …
Does Word Count Matter?
Some writers find it surprising–or even constricting–to discover that publishing houses, agents, editors, and even readers care about a book’s word count. Why does word count matter? If my novel is 140,000 words rather than a traditional 90,000, is it …
Comes and Goes
Comes and goes? How does that subject line relate to writers and the publishing industry?
Sometimes a word picture or metaphor will communicate a hard-to-understand truth, which is why this blog post relies on two.
Much of the issue that …