Observations on Why Writers Can’t Do Housework
Part of the art of writing is the ability to observe and describe the details others might miss. Writers see the scorn behind a curl of the lip, for example, and they notice the nervous energy of a...
View ArticleThe hidden benefit of blogging spam
I’m a little obsessive. Whenever I log onto my email I often quickly scan the junk folder. Though I’ll occasionally rescue a legitimate message, most of the time my electronic gatekeeper has...
View ArticleAgent Stalking on Twitter Can Land a Free Query Critique
As any novelist knows, signing with an agent is like getting a finisher medal at the end of a marathon, the outcome of a lot of hard work, sweat and tears. I knew this when I finished my first novel …...
View ArticleSocial Media Motivation – Using Crowd Power to Propel you Toward your Goals
Conventional wisdom says we’re more likely to reach our goals if we have support, if we’re around people who goad us on, encourage us or point the way to success. In my experience this is true, but not...
View ArticleA Childish Response to Publishing News
You know how some kids invent imaginary friends to help them cope? That’s what I’m doing to deal with all the sky-is-falling news about the publishing industry. I didn’t have an imaginary friend when I...
View ArticleSix Reasons to Work with an Editor
When I was 18 years old I published my first article. I remember the thrill of opening the slim envelope with the magazine logo in the corner, rather than the SASE I’d enclosed with my query. I was...
View ArticleAn Adult Approach to Publishing News
I recently wrote a post about my childish response to publishing news. Well, just to set the record straight, I don’t always put my fingers in my ears and sing, “la, la, la” while running off to play...
View Article3 Writing-Related Books Worth Buying
As a writer one of my favorite job responsibilities is reading. I’m always baffled by writers who say they don’t have time to read. To me, a writer who doesn’t read is like a professional basketball...
View ArticleQuick Steps to Read that Word Document on Your Kindle
When I lined up a few beta readers for my novel this winter, two of them asked for a file they could read on their Kindles. My own Kindle (Beth) was still shiny new so I had to figure this … Continue...
View ArticleHugging the Journalist
Once I overheard a fellow reporter say, “there are no hugs in journalism.” This gave me pause. During my career I’ve written about more topics than I can recall but they tend to fall in four basic...
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