Oh, the joys of working from home. It’s Sunday afternoon and I just sent an email to a client. Fail! I’ve been focusing on disciplining my work hours and yet, too often, the office calls to me on evenings and …
Writing Life
Conquer Dialogue Punctuation
I really wanted to title this “Conquer Dialogue Punctuation, PLEASE!” but thought it might be a bit much. It’s not easy. Let’s all admit that. No one is born knowing how. And writers have all kinds of excuses for struggling …
Art is risk
Seth Godin writes, “Free doesn’t make something a gift. Free might be a marketing strategy, free might make a generous present, but free doesn’t automatically make something a gift. Gil Scott Heron’s album isn’t free, but it’s a gift. …
20 truths I wish I would’ve known when I started publishing
If I were able to time travel (those of you who write time travel books make it look so easy!), I would find younger writer me, prior to publishing, and tell her these hard-won truths I’ve learned. I hope these …
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When Life Gets in the Way
I posted the basic concept of this article a few years ago. In revisiting it, I found it at least as true now as it was then, if not more so. You may have observed something similar.
Life gets in …
3 Questions to Ask Yourself when You’re Discouraged
I’ve watched the success of others as I’ve pursued a career that exemplifies longevity, and I have the privilege of shepherding my authors toward a sustainable career. The key is to keep walking, particularly after the sting of rejection, or …
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The Author Marketing Conundrum: Me Monster or Plumber?
One thing I struggle to resolve is this idea of good ambition and selfish ambition. I know of a couple authors who tend toward Me-Monster-ness, and, because of that, I fear I’ll become that too. I know the authors …
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Good Ol’ Summertime
ANNOUNCING the 25th Anniversary Hook Winners!
We had 317 hooks submitted to our writers’ contest, and these 25 are our winners:
Suzanne Anderson, Debbie Ashley, Hilary Bernstein, Peggy Bodde, Susan Brehmer, Kurt Bubna, Karen Bucci, Jolyn Canty, Jessica Ferguson, Katharine …
6 Ways to Prevent Writer Burnout
Do you feel scattered? Are you bordering on burnout? Has someone in your life said, “I’m worried about your pace of life”? As a confirmed do-er, this has been a personal battle of mine since I began writing decades ago. …
Reading vs. Listening to Books
I recently discovered Hoopla (thanks, Michelle!), and borrowed the audio version of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. It was a book that I knew I didn’t want to own, but wanted to read to stay current …