Some elements of an author’s proposal are not what you’d think. They seem like a good thing, but may make the opposite impression from the one you’re looking for.
Writing Craft
Working Through Overwhelm
‘Tis the season of the writers conference, both in-person and virtual. Perhaps you’ve just attended one, and you feel as if a mountain of useful information has been placed in your lap. You’re thrilled to have it, it’s what you …
How to Cook a Book
Let’s explore how to cook a nonfiction book. I am an enthusiastic home cook. It’s a hobby and rather than cooking the same thing over and over again, I try to stay fresh so my enthusiasm for this daily task …
Five Tips to Becoming a Better Writer
Writing is about putting one word after another, in such a way that the reader will be drawn into the text. But as with all endeavors, becoming a better writer comes with frustrations. Here are five things that I have …
Five Things I Wish I Knew Earlier
Twenty five years ago I signed my first official publishing contract. I knew very little about publishing and even less about what to expect personally. I was in my early forties, a ministry leader in a large mega-church when contacted …
Why Aren’t They Smiling?
A writer might ask, “Why aren’t they smiling? My speaking audience, my critique partners, my agent, my editor, my best friend–and half the humor was about her! Why is no one smiling except me?”
Writing humor into a talk or …
My 2023 Favorite Read
As has been my tradition for several years, I enjoy starting out the new year with reflections on my favorite read in the year before. The books (or book, as is the case this year) don’t have to be releases …
A Brutally Honest Blog
I’m thinking it’s time for some brutal truth, but don’t fear– there will be lots of encouraging ideas toward the end.
How many of us, when telling someone the story of a life-changing challenge, have been told, “You should write …
Writers’ love-hate relationship with punctuation
Periodically someone will post on Facebook their opinion of a certain punctuation mark. Comments in response unfurl like a long serpent below the post. Neutrality tends not to exist in those comments. In this way I’ve learned that writers, in …