workshops

Cliffhangers: Not Just for the End of a Book

May 3, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Pitches, queries, back cover copy, and full-length stories all have writing techniques in common.  For one thing, they all need a strong opening. We talk about that being a “hook,” something that grabs the reader and pulls them forward to the next line, paragraph, and page. A similar approach works within our stories too.  We might [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, Jami Gold, Janice Hardy, page turning stories, paranormal author, tension, Terri Brisbin, workshops

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What Makes You Feel Legitimate?

February 2, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Last week, we had a great discussion in the comments about whether we call ourselves writers or authors.  In general, we agreed that while we don’t judge others by what they call themselves, we each have our reasons for what we call ourselves.  Many echoed the idea that we want to feel legitimate before we’ll [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, conferences, Jami Gold, paranormal author, professionalism, RWA, website, workshops

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The Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers

November 22, 2011 Writing Stuff
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The end of this week marks the unofficial beginning to the holiday shopping season in the United States.  Thursday is our Thanksgiving holiday, and the day after is known as Black Friday, the day retailers finally sell enough to put their accounting books “in the black” for the year. I’m not one of those who [...]

Tagged as: conferences, ereader, Jami Gold, Kindle, organized, paranormal author, RWA, website creation, workshops, writing contests

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Are All Distractions Bad?

August 30, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Most writers have day jobs and families to take care of, so our writing time is precious.  Yet the hour we had set aside for writing instead often goes to…something else. I’m no exception.  I’ve spent too much “writing time” playing on Twitter or reading blog posts, etc. Sometimes I beat myself up about it. [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, blogging, branding, contracts, Jami Gold, life balance, mobile website, paranormal author, perfectionism, queries, social media, Twitter, website, workshops

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What’s Your Favorite Writing Lesson?

January 13, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Yesterday, the inimitable Tawna Fenske had a blog post about how reading outside our comfort zone can make us better writers.  Her post got me thinking about a book I recently finished, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Unlike my usual genres of paranormal or historical, Anna and the French Kiss is a [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, authors, editing, feedback, genre, grammar, workshops, writing contests

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Unlike Life, Stories Aren’t a Journey

August 23, 2010 Writing Stuff
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We’ve all heard the saying: Life is a journey.  Often this thought will be accompanied by—enjoy the ride—or something along those lines.  And that’s great advice for life.  But what about for stories? At the RWA conference, I attended the Inside Scoop workshop with Robin Perini and Claire Cavanaugh.  During the workshop, they critiqued opening [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, feedback, RWA, Skip to the Good Parts, story openings, workshops

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What Agents *Really* Want in a Query Letter

August 11, 2010 Writing Stuff
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First of all, if you weren’t at the RWA conference, check out my contest for a free book from the RWA registration bags. The deadline to enter is midnight, August 16th. So my new RWA-buddy, Roni Loren, posted a great article on her blog about the QueryFest workshop.  When I kept finding myself wanting to [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, agents, conferences, feedback, high-concept hooks, queries, Roni Loren, RWA, workshops

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