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 …
The Career Plan
By Wendy Lawton
A new year. A new decade. Doesn’t it feel like time to touch base, time to plan, time to talk about what the year may hold for each of us? Your agent will tell you, however, that …