As authors we are always on the lookout for ways to improve our craft—to help our writing rise above the slush pile and connect with readers. And once it’s in readers’ hands, we want our work to ring true, to stick with people long after they put it down. We read articles, watch webinars, scour… Read more »
Do you feel battered and bruised after a writing session? Does your mind and body ache? That’s because writing is a sport. You must commit to it, train for it, and love it even when you hate it. All athletes start at the same place. They find a sport they love and work towards improving… Read more »
Historical romance novels are in high demand. I wondered if the Netflix series, Bridgerton, which received a staggering viewership of 82 MILLION for its 8-episode first season, influenced this increased demand. My enquiring mind didn’t mess around. I went straight to the pros for answers and emailed sisters, Bea and Leah Koch. These dynamic women… Read more »
We all read them. We all send them. Some of us have thousands of them hanging around. That’s right, today, we’re going to talk about how to edit an email. Editing personal and business correspondence is a bit different from editing creative work. Let’s take a look. Your Mindset The first step when you edit… Read more »
Life is better when the creative juices flow. No matter what we do for work or fun, creativity makes life easier, more exciting, and helps to achieve what we imagine. For artists, writers, and musicians, creativity is a must-have skill to survive and thrive. Many remarkable leaders, business people, scientists, and strategists (George Washington, Albert… Read more »
You have just finished your rough draft! Congrats! That is an epic feat, and you deserve to celebrate. There should probably be cake at this celebration. You earned it. Take the moment to relish your magnificent accomplishment, eat some cake, maybe take a few weeks off so you can see your story with new eyes… Read more »
Well, it’s August, and that means we’ve passed the halfway mark for the year of 2021, and boy, am I looking for ways to revitalize my practice after losing writing steam. Those new year’s goals are far behind me, plenty laying littered and broken along my yearly writing journey. I’d love to say my passion… Read more »
As writers, I think we can all agree that copyediting is an important part of the publishing process. We know that if a reader notices an error, it will probably take him out of the lucid dream of reading. Do that enough times, and he’ll sigh with disgust and toss the book/article/essay aside for good…. Read more »
The Liability of Love, my latest novel, touches on many aspects of love, but the central relationship is a marriage between two of the main characters, Margaret and Douglas, who meet at a party in their early 20s. This happens in the mid-1980s, and though it seems quaint today, that’s how a lot of people… Read more »
Incorporating the full range of senses into your fiction can transform it from flat to multi-dimensional, impenetrable to immersive. Writers who set their stories in contemporary locations are often able to experience the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations of their setting firsthand simply by visiting the location. But what about those of us… Read more »
