Oh, that illusory work/life balance… even more challenging in the age of Covid. An old Susan Branch calendar had a quote I love: “I’m trying to arrange my life so I don’t even have to be present.”
Bingo! That’s what …
The Lost Art of Hand Selling
At a recent staff meeting, Janet Grant filled us in on a Bookspan/Publisher’s Marketplace webinar she attended a week or so ago. She took great notes on many topics but one point stood out to me. The presenter observed that …
On Being Edited
You’ve written the book. You’ve rewritten the book. Eight times. You’ve had a friend go over it for typos and grammar gaffs. As near perfect as you can make it, you send it to your editor, right on time. Then …
Three SIP Activities for Writers
Your first question may be: What is SIP? It stands for Shelter in Place, a term we didn’t even think about three months ago. These SIP activities are suggestions which may strengthen our writing but are also distracting and …
Five Flagrant Fiction Flubs
When I read fiction for pleasure I strive to turn off the “internal editor” as I read, but lately I’ve come across a number of glaring mistakes that pull me right out of the story. Let me address five of …
How to be Productive When You Don’t Feel Up To It
I’m writing this blog post on Saturday, the day I planned to reorganize all my bathroom cabinets. I woke up this morning and decided I don’t feel up to it. Rather than beat myself up for a bad case of …
Count Each Writerly Blessing
We are experiencing what might be called by some, interesting times. Others might call it downright scary or at least unsettling. I’m reminded of a favorite Bible passage: Philippians 4:6-7. The answer to anxiety is found right there!
…Do not
The Imposter Syndrome
“I can’t really call myself a writer, I haven’t yet been published.”
“I know I’ve written seventeen books, I just hope nobody ever finds out I never finished college.”
“My book has been on the bestseller list for three months …
Be Anxious About Nothing
Anxious? Unless you live in a cave you have been bombarded with negative, anxiety-producing information of late. In less than one hour of listening to news today, I heard more doomsday-type news than a body can stand. The icecaps are …
How Many Words?
A couple of years ago I ordered the bundled ebook of A Game of Thrones. It weighed in at 3936 pages! I’m just thankful I don’t have to lift the book in order to read it. We all hear …