Enjoy!
I’m From Missouri—SHOW me!
Okay, truth be told, I’m from Oregon. But in the 30 years I've been editing fiction, I've discovered a number of issues almost all writers face, regardless of how much they've written or been published. If I had to pick the top issue I see over and over, it would be Show, Don't Tell.
What, you may ask, does that mean? It's actually pretty simple. It's the …
45 Ways to Blog as a Novelist - Do you have blogger's block? Here are some great tips for finding stuff to blog about.
Why You Are Receiving Rejections - Nathan Bransford weighs in and is both simple and profound.
Read Your Old Tweets - If you are an aggressive tweeter you're stymied if you want to review your archives. The linked tool is an amazing way to pull them all into one document for …
by Steve Laube
The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs (published by Oxford in June 2011) is this month's "Book of the Month." I recommend you pick up a copy and enjoy the experience for yourself.
It seems a little odd to read a book about reading. But for those of us who are in the "business" of creating books it is always interesting to read a wise person's take on …
Shakespeare as you've never heard it before! A bit less than four minutes of utter genius.
On Monday, Barbour Publishing informed the industry that they will be discontinuing their Heartsong Presents imprint. After 18 years and 1,000 titles, it will end its run in December 2011. Publishing has always been fluid. Steve Laube says that it is important to stay flexible because “A publisher can dramatically change directions after a meeting on Tuesday.”
I never thought Heartsong …
Last week we identified Point-of-View (POV). This week, let’s consider some common POV misteps.
What's My Line?: When POV/voice doesn’t fit the character.
Here's an example. The POV character is male and a construction worker. So is the following appropriate for his POV?
The Publishers Who Lost the Most When Border's Closed - The next time you criticize "traditional publishers" for their seemingly high prices and slow adoption of new technology, remember this list. Penguin/Putnam lost $41 million when Borders went bankrupt. Ouch.
Twenty-five Rejection Proof Markets - A clever article by James Watkins. I like #24. Proof that I can remain rejection …
Hold on to your wallets! This video will make you want to search the Internet to buy your own set.
Ever been reading a novel, cooking along with the character, when you realize you’re not seeing things through that character’s eyes any longer? Somewhere along the way, something shifted and you’re inside a different character’s head. Jarring, huh? Probably jolted you out of the story, if only for a few seconds while you figured out what happened.
That, my friends, is what you want to avoid at …