blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Writers are often asked for a bio–usually 30-50 words. Sometimes 100. A strong, compelling bio says a lot about an author.
How can we make sure we’re truly beefing up our author bios without making them muscle-bound?…
Establishing Healthy Habits for Writers
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Healthy writer habits?
No, this isn’t a blog post about walking away from the computer at the top of every hour, although that’s a good idea. It’s not about finding healthy snack alternatives for deadline week. Also …
Book Inventory
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Book inventory. It had to happen eventually. When solid wood shelves sag like a swayback horse and avalanches have nothing to do with snow, it’s time to either buy more bookshelves or take inventory of what must …
Acting and Writing
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Acting is a unique artform, but it’s also a vital skill for writers.
Accomplished actors become the characters they’re tasked to portray. They “crawl into the skin” of the hero, heroine, villain. Actors often talk about enjoying …
Hold These Truths as Self-Evident
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
What truths do we hold as “self-evident”? With the United States’ Independence Day just behind us, many of us are still eating cake with strawberry stripes and blueberry stars, picking up yard evidence of expired sparklers, and …
Shortcuts to Publishing Success
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
(Crickets)
Wait. You really thought publishing success shortcuts exist?
Some try. Writers can successfully employ time-savers, but shortcuts aren’t the positive elements they might be in mountain hikes or traffic jam bypasses.
Time Shortcuts
At a …
Use High Quality Proposal Ingredients
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
High quality proposal ingredients? Can attention to this detail make a difference for writers?
Preparing a proposal mirrors preparing a fine meal for guests.
Any recipe will fail if the chef works with inferior ingredients.
In the …
Writers on the Way to Something Else
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Writers on the way to something else are among the most inspired.
An ancient prophet said, “Do not despise these small beginnings.” For me, small meant an inch-long, bright yellow blossom tucked among mottled leaves in the …
Am I Ready to Approach an Agent?
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Approaching an agent with a project in hopes of having your work represented is sometimes a complicated process. As mentioned in a blog post earlier this month, agents wear many hats. One of them is Talent Scout. …
How Many Hats Does a Literary Agent Wear?
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
How many hats does a literary agent wear? And why would I want an agent on my side?
Among the many questions agents field at writers conference where newcomers to the industry are in attendance are these: …