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Fun Fridays – July 3, 2020
This video was mesmerizing. Convert a sheet of paper towel into a face mask, using origami. For such a time as this, right? The entire time I wondered, Who thought of this? The final scene of the video reveals its creator. (Of course, it would be someone brilliant like that.) [If you cannot see the embedded video in your newsletter email, please click the headline and go directly to our site to …
It May Not Be As Bad As You Think
In the early morning hours, in a hotel, I was preparing to be on faculty at an important conference when I discovered that an elf had snuck into my makeup bag and stolen my Lancôme foundation. For those who don’t wear cosmetics, foundation is a substance that takes your skin from “ready to read a book in the privacy of your home” to “ready to appear before important people” within moments. Because …
Curious About Agents and Publishers and Stuff
A writer friend recently messaged me with a few questions about agents and publishers and stuff. The “and stuff” is my locution, not hers. So I thought for the benefit or outrage of all, I’d answer her in this space. See how generous I am? No? Okay, be that way. Here goes: I am curious about using literary agents vs. working with a publisher without agent representation. . . . I’ve noticed that …
Show, Don’t Tell With Tim Shoemaker
If there is one guiding light in excellent writing, the one thing almost everyone agrees on, is “show, don’t tell.” Telling is one of the most-common mistakes new authors make and one of the biggest reasons their manuscripts get rejected. It is also one of the biggest reasons readers give up on a book. If you stopped reading a book because it failed to hold your interest, there is a chance the …
Show, Don’t Tell With Tim Shoemaker
If there is one guiding light in excellent writing, the one thing almost everyone agrees on, is “show, don’t tell.” Telling is one of the most-common mistakes new authors make and one of the biggest reasons their manuscripts get rejected. It is also one of the biggest reasons readers give up on a book. If […]
You can listen to this episode Show, Don’t Tell With Tim Shoemaker on Christian …
Marketing with the National Day Calendar
If you blog or post regularly, you know the challenge of coming up with new and fresh content. One idea might be to take advantage of NationalDayCalendar.com. This fun website has indexed over 1,500 national days, national weeks, and national months. Use this to find fun things you can write about! Today is National Waffle Iron Day (no kidding!). Did you know the first patent for a waffle iron was …
Fun Fridays – June 26, 2020
Today’s video is quite enjoyable! Sit back and laugh. If you want to make a connection to the writing life, feel free to do so in the comments. [If you cannot see the embedded video in your newsletter email, please click the headline and go directly to our site to view it.]
Writing a Timeless Author Bio
Hafwen Hostess surveys the conference classroom. She estimates about 100 conferees are there for Ava Agent’s class. At the stroke of one, Hafwen reads her introduction of Ava, which Hafwen pulled off the Internet just before leaving for the airport for the conference: A graduate of Liberty Baptist College, award-winning Ava Agent is the author of four novels and looks forward to the release of her …
Goal-Setting (and Revising)
I’m an inveterate goal-setter. From way back. I started setting yearly goals at the age of 19, maybe before. I remember that set of goals because that was the first time I formulated a “lifetime goal” to write a book. One book. I figured, how many people manage to write a whole book in their lifetime? I thought it’d be cool, whether or not I ever published. Within a few years, I revised that goal. …