blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Last year, my husband broke three ribs. A reasonably coordinated man, he tripped on an uneven piece of pavement and fell hard. Broken ribs take an extraordinarily long time to heal. Small fall; big consequences.
It can …
Why the Agent Did Not Say Yes
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
An agent says no. A writer is left wondering why unless the agent has the time and inclination to give a brief–or even more rarely, a lengthier–explanation why the answer wasn’t “Yes! I’d love to represent you!”…
A Writer’s Blind Auditions
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Are you a fan of the reality competition TV show THE VOICE? Each season’s early episodes start with blind auditions. Four professional musicians/judges/coaches sit with their backs to the stage. They’re listening only to the …
Watch and Learn from Movies
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Comfy new she-shed-like sunroom + intentional relaxation + days off = binge-watching movies.
I didn’t anticipate it also meant school. Was I entertained? Yes. Relaxed? Oh, yes.
But after a weekend of watching one movie after …
Retailer Needs
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
I spent the past several days listening to and speaking with retailers at the CPE International Christian Products Expo in Murfreesboro, TN. My impressions are many.
One question not asked often enough in our day-to-day writing is …
Make a Pilgrimage to a Bookstore
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Why should a writer routinely make a pilgrimage to a bookstore?
I chose the word pilgrimage on purpose for two reasons.
- It’s true that far fewer bookstores exist than even ten years ago. So it may be
Memoir: Mem-oir, or ME-moir?
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Memoir: Mem-oir, or ME-moir?
How do you pronounce memoir, anyway?
It’s not a question of how to pronounce the word, although many of us do wonder. Is it MEHM-wah or mehm-WAH or MEHM-wahr?
None of the …
Keeping Your Agent Informed
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Literary agents and agencies are not one-size-fits-all…not that anything bearing that label ever truly is.
We share common ground. We differ in specialities, connections, level of hands-on or hands-off involvement in our client’s projects, and approaches to …
Good News/Bad News for Writers
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Writers often live a good news/bad news existence, toggling from one to the other. A keynote speaker at a recent writers’ conference used the “Oh, that’s good. No that’s bad” children’s book format to talk about the …
How is Writing Like Painting?
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
How IS writing like painting?
Not this kind: 
Although, yes, writing at its best is art.
For today’s blog post’s purpose, let’s think about this kind of painting and its correlation to …