Are Speedbumps Holding Back Your Writing?
Sometimes books don’t earn a “perfect” review because of minor problems. Let’s talk about some of the small issues that might hold back our work from being as good—or as great—as it could be.
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When Does Disagreement Become Bullying?
Several situations related to the line between disagreeing and bullying have been swirling through Publishing Land recently, so I want to address the subject while it’s relevant. That said, I’m sharing my opinion in this post, and you might have a different opinion. That’s okay.
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Do You Belong? Or Are You a Fraud?
How would you complete this sentence? “I’ll know that I’m good enough when…” Dr. Valerie Young, an expert on “impostor syndrome,” shares her insights.
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RWA16: Industry Insights from Data Guy and More
This year at RWA, I was eligible to attend special published-authors-only workshops geared toward those with more experience, and I want to share some of the highlights from those workshops, as I think we can all benefit from many of the insights.
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Conference Recap & Bonus Contest Winner!
I’m back from beautiful San Diego and the Romance Writers of America National Conference and here for a quick recap of the past week with contest winners galore.
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The Ultimate #RWA16 Conference Packing List
I’m looking forward to seeing my friends again, and I’ll be doing my first book signing, but the stress? Ugh. It’s a good thing I have my handy-dandy ultimate packing list from the last time I went to RWA National.
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What to Look for in Published-Author Contests
With another final under Treasured Claim’s belt, my debut has now finaled five times in three contests for published books. So today seems like a good time to touch upon the contest arena for published books.
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Writing Truth: We’re Making It Up as We Go
Last Friday, Angela Quarles’s book Must Love Chainmail was named a finalist in RWA’s RITA award, and my writing bestie’s success reminded me of an important lesson for all of us. The road to success can look an awful lot like chaos. *smile*
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Subjectivity and Reader Shaming
If we write genre fiction, we might bemoan the lack of respect, but the same lack of respect occurs at the reader level too. Readers of science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, young adult, and romance have also been looked down on. Many outsiders have attempted to make readers ashamed of their reading choices by judging by subjective measures.
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Shining a Light on Diversity Issues
In gearing up for the release of Pure Sacrifice, one frustrating experience was beyond my control. I’ve mentioned before that we should avoid assumptions about our characters, so I waited until I heard a voice that resonated and knew my paranormal character for this book wouldn’t be white skinned. Great! Except…
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