This Is Why I Write Ask ten authors why they write and you’ll probably get ten answers, and likely they’ll be ten very long answers. Some authors say it’s in their blood, that they wanted to write since they could hold a pen. I was too busy playing and getting into trouble as a youngster. […]
Every now and then I do a post to give thanks to the huge number of wonderful people I’ve met since I started on this publishing journey. These are people who go out of their way to help others, usually strangers, and they do it out of the goodness of their heart. Literary agents are often […]
Writing With Distractions I often read, with some degree of envy, about writers who are going off on a writing retreat. Leaving the world for a weekend or even a whole week, and taking their computer to a mountain hideaway, or a beach resort, or a cabin in the woods. “I just can’t focus at […]
World’s Greatest Hamburger My brother will be surprised to know this post is about him—especially since it’s not a tribute to his death. How did this come about, you ask? I was reading a book and, about halfway through, the author described yet another character with superlatives. I thought about it and realized that the […]
Living In The Shadows—The Fate of Secondary Characters I was watching a movie the other night that looked like it had promise. The first ten minutes got me interested and the main character was intriguing. And then I met the rest of the cast. With only one exception, they were dull, flat, cliched, and otherwise […]
Decisions About Independent Publishing The best part about being an independent author is you get to make all the decisions yourself. Nobody tells you what to do. You decide on the story, the characters, pick your own book cover, hire your own editor, choose fonts, all of it. It’s a great, wonderful feeling. But there’s […]
The Fear of Writing Real Characters Writing strong, interesting characters is not easy. Many writers use real people, or combinations of real people, as the basis for their characters. Because they are, in essence, real people, readers relate to them. It’s no surprise then, that quite a few authors base their protagonists or at least […]
The Secret to a Good Book Here’s the scenario—you finished your manuscript; your favorite friends read it; you ran it through two, maybe three, rounds of self editing; and now it’s ready. Whoa! Ready for what? Before you do anything with that manuscript, you better run it through a few more steps. You can’t give […]
My wife was reading a book the other night and the female lead was having a difficult time with her relationship. At one point the character said to her friend, “Nothing’s left. It’s all downhill from here.” Confused, my wife came to me and asked about the saying. “I thought ‘it’s all downhill from here’ […]
Mistakes Show Up in Many Ways Imagine buying a new computer only to discover that the percentage key doesn’t work, or that five pixels on your screen aren’t working. Or how about a new refrigerator, and the first time you have guests over you discover the ice maker taps out after half an hour. (I’ve […]
