Contracts can be confusing. Enjoy this wisdom from Chico and Groucho Marx (from their movie made in 1935; some things never change):
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Is Your Book a Book?
When I first began writing for publication, back when Gutenberg was a pup, publishing a book was the goal, the prize, the pinnacle of success. Nowadays, though, with the Internet and blogs and print-on-demand and Amazon, anyone can publish a book. And pretty much anyone does. Just browse a bit, you’ll see what I mean. Sheesh. If your definition of success is simply to publish a book, you’re at …
Gentle Criticism
First, let me point out how much I appreciate the respect shown by the commenters on my last blog post, “The Difference We Offer.” I appreciate the healthy dialogue and always look forward to reading comments on my posts. If only everyone could be so open-minded and cordial! One of our family stories is about a relative turning up her nose at a sushi plate, declaring, “I don’t like sushi.” “Have …
Story Structure Part #7
Welcome back to Story Structure. We’re still using the story we’re creating with Oliver and Sophia, and we’ve come to Plot Point #2. Plot Point #2 comes after the dark moment (that I talked about last time) and just before the climax. Plot Point #2, according to Larry Brooks, is defined as “the final injection of new information into the story, after which no new expository information may …
Only the Rich Get Published (?)
The title of today’s blog came in a question that was much less confrontational but significant nonetheless. In the context of describing the extremely limited amount of money they could spend on writers conferences, online classes, training materials, etc., the writer summarized by asking, “How can an unknown writer with very limited resources expect to get their writing published?” This is a …
Fun Fridays – February 23, 2024
You can write today’s date as 2, 23, 24 … Two. Two three. Two Four. It’s almost like a countdown to a song, which brings me to today’s “fun.” This week, I was talking with a friend about a book title that describes so much of our Christian life. It is titled My Almost for His Highest (a satire on the famous Oswald Chambers book). Then, she sent a list of …
Mastering the Art of Professionalism: Small Steps, Big Impact in Book Submissions
Hey, aspiring authors! Let’s talk about the unsung hero of the publishing world—the initial submission email. You know, that little note that holds the key to unlocking the door to literary representation. But, here’s the kicker: Many budding writers are unintentionally fumbling the ball at the goal line because of seemingly small mistakes in their submission process. So, let’s …
Encouragement Is More Than Words
A lot has happened over the last five-plus years since I wrote this agency blog post on Encouraging Writers. While I don’t think I would change the substance of it for today, still, over the last several years, between Covid lockdowns, the growth of virtual work, and societal institutions seemingly dissolving, we probably have a different perspective on many things in life now. From engaging in a …
Presidential Quotes on President’s Day
Today is President’s Day in the U.S. Originally established in 1885 as a recognition of George Washington’s birthday (February 22), it was later expanded to include Abraham Lincoln and all other U.S. presidents. Some of the words of these leaders have stood the test of time. For example, from Abraham Lincoln: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” “And in …
Fun Fridays – February 16, 2024
Since yesterday’s post was a “A Writer’s Lament,” I thought this video would be appropriate. Very clever refashioning a cat’s mournful cry into a song. But even more, it sounds like the cat is a writer!