Back in the day, in Melbourne, Australia, was a bookseller named E.W. Cole. Today’s video is a glimpse into that wonderful bookshop.
I want that second floor full of bookshelves to be in my office!
Blog
What Are You Saying?
Before telling someone, “You should write a book,” be sure you know what you are encouraging them to do. If you are the one told to write, I am sure you quickly discovered that it wasn’t as easy as you were led to believe. And you either just put the suggestion on the back burner or took a lot of time to learn about how things work and then proceeded with your eyes wide open. If you are the one …
Mastering Subtext in Fiction, Part 1: Saying It Without Saying It
Subtext is the hidden layer of meaning beneath the words and actions of a story. It’s what characters don’t say, what emotions they suppress, and what truths are left for the reader to infer, rather than being explicitly stated. Great writing isn’t only about what’s written; it’s also about what’s implied. Readers love engaging with stories where they have to read between the lines, piecing …
Discovery Writing 101: How to Craft Gripping Stories Without an Outline With Steven James
The phrase “driving by the seat of your pants” dates back to the era of steam locomotives. In those days, engineers could sense how the train was handling by feeling the rumble through their seats. Decades later, early aviators adopted the phrase “flying by the seat of their pants” to describe piloting by instinct, rather than relying on instruments. Writers later …
My Book Life Began in the Library
In many ways, my life in books began in elementary school. I discovered our city’s public library with the help of my mom. I soon began walking there regularly after school. While there, in what seemed to be a massive building, I would explore the rows and rows of books. Plucking one off the shelf here and there and skimming pages. One day, I discovered a complete section of books on …
Fun Fridays – March 7, 2025
Twenty-five TV commercial jingles woven into one song. amazing creativity. How many of them can you also sing the words? Frightening confessions are welcome in the comments. In case you are curious, look below for the products used. Here is what you are seeing: Old Spice, McDonald’s fries, SpaghettiOs, Rice-A-Roni, Meow Mix, Chili’s steak bones, KitKat bars, Fanta, TUMS, Coke, the Toys …
Congratulations on Your Rejection!
You say you got a rejection from an editor, agent, or some other unenlightened knuckle-dragger? Congratulations! No, seriously. I mean it. Congratulations. Because, though rejection feels crummy, being rejected means something. Something good. “What?” you might ask. Let me list the ways. Rejection means you wrote something. Good for you! Rejection means you demonstrated faith in …
4 Conference Success Secrets
I have been on the faculty of nearly 200 writers conferences over the years. Some might say that is the definition of insanity… !?! But I would not be where I am today if it were not for the fine people I have met over the years at those events. I am a firm believer in the purpose behind a writers conference and what can be accomplished. After a while it became clear which writers were going to …
Fun Fridays – February 28, 2025
Ten years ago, there were Llamas on the Lloose in a suburb of Phoenix! Enjoy the Llama Drama, set to very appropriate music. It’s Llike a Llittle Llost writer at a conference trying to find their cLlassroom. Fortunately, there was a local cowboy with a Llasso. Yes, Phoenix has cowboys. HT: Trissina Kear
Commercial Writing (The Word Count Question)
One of the common questions I get as an agent relates to how long a book should be. Many aspiring authors think about a target number of pages and chapters when they need to focus on word count. Using pages as a metric for book length likely comes from those who self-publish and are accustomed to being charged per page for their book. Depending on the type of project, there is an optimum word …