Where Normal Need Not Apply
Thanks once again to all who responded to my last blog post about whether books should have a rating system. And I say that not just because I didn’t need my flame-proof jacket. *smile* Many shared thoughtful ideas here on my blog, Google+, and Twitter that helped me refine my opinion. If […]
Last week, Cheryl Reif asked the question on her blog: Short or Long? Which Way to Post… She wondered if people preferred reading blog posts that weighed in at the “recommended” 300 words, or if people enjoyed longer posts. Anyone who reads my blog knows I don’t follow the 300 […]
My one-year blogiversary is coming up on July 12th. The occasion has me doing something I don’t normally do: math. Eek! This is my 101st blog post, and during that time, this blog has passed 100 Google Friend Connect followers, 250 RSS subscribers, and 1500 comments (not including mine). I […]
Believe it or not, I sometimes actually follow my own advice. *smile* Recently, I helped score a few contest entries, just like I recommend in my post about why all writers should volunteer to judge contests. One of the entries was—I’m afraid there’s no nice way to say this—dreadful. The […]
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I’m still at Disneyland, so I have another guest joining us today. This is the second installment of a new feature here on my blog: Interview with a…Muse (because interviewing our characters is just too sane). After I had so much fun with my Do You Have a Muse? post, […]
Do you dread that question? If you tell the cashier at the grocery store you’re a writer and they ask what your book is about, do you have an answer? All writers who want readers have to be able to answer that question. Whether it’s our brother-in-law at a holiday […]
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Many articles have been written about traditional vs. self publishing (this blog is no exception, as my articles here and here prove), and agent Rachelle Gardner’s recent post added an intriguing twist to the conversation. She asked her readers who are sticking with traditional publishing to explain their reasons why. […]
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Yesterday, author Jody Hedlund had a blog post about why most writers are blind to their own faults. The first reason she mentioned really resonated with me: We naturally view our work through our maturity level. When we first start any new project, writing or otherwise, we don’t know what […]
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Over the past six months, I’ve received feedback on my work from many sources—contest judges to beta readers. A lot of them told me things I didn’t want to hear. It would have been very easy to get defensive and react along the lines of: Didn’t they read it? It’s […]
Several months ago, I ran a post about what to look for in a critique partner. One of the points I’d made was to evaluate whether a potential critique partner was familiar with our genre. Only someone knowledgeable about our genre would know the expectations for pacing, character development, etc. […]
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