Helping to Change the World…Word by Word
The Steve Laube Agency
Helping to Change the World Word by Word
Today is a fun day to celebrate that special someone in your life.
My wife and I have been married for over 40 years now, and the video below is a tribute to her. No, she knows I do not and cannot dance; but videos like this make me feel like I can.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Go-make someone-you-love-smile day.
21 Latin Phrases Every Writer Should Know Persona Non Grata “An unwelcome person” (lately defined, by some, as a literary agent). Habeas Corpus “You have the body” (the legal right to appear before a judge). Cogito Ergo Sum “I think, therefore I am.” For a writer it would be “Scribo ergo sum.” Deus Ex Machina “God from the Machine.” In a novel it basically means the author has written something …
by Steve Laube
The unsolicited pile of proposals in my office (aka "the slushpile) taunts me every day.
"Come over here!" it says, tantalizing me with immanent possibilities. I say to myself, "Maybe it will be the next one I look at. That will be 'The One.'"
I've been told that many of you enjoy hearing some of the offbeat letters or intriguing proposals I see. Here is a sampling from …
I’ve been a fan of James Taylor (he of “Fire and Rain” and “Carolina on My Mind” fame) since I first heard “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” on the radio at a particularly lonely time in my life. That’s a story for another time; we won’t get into it right now. But from that day I bought or stole every album he ever released. On his 1979 release, Flag, he included a song titled “B.S.U.R. …
As Soon as Your Book Is Published (Unpublished Author Edition) Your hair will become fuller, lusher, and shinier. You will only write a thousand words a day to make a million dollars a year. You’ll be a bestselling author, and every book will float to the top of the charts. You will be the most popular author at writers conferences. Aspiring authors will fawn over you, keen for your wisdom. You …
A couple years ago I was enjoying a small family reunion with my two older brothers. We were playing a card game, and for some reason I used the word chimera in the conversation. Unfortunately, I failed to take into consideration three things: I had (to my recollection) never heard the word spoken but had only read it. My brothers are both smarter than me. My brothers would never hesitate to …
Composed with tongue firmly in cheek. Send to yours and maketh your agent weepeth. 10 Haughty Author Commandments That Agents Must Obey I. Thou shalt have no other authors before me. II. Thou shalt adore all my ideas and declare them holy. III. Thou shalt personally guarantee my financial success. IV. Thou shalt send me to Bora Bora on my birthday and send a wad o’ cash at Christmas. V. Thou …
It may be too late by the time you read this post, but April Fool’s Day is a good time to mention some ideas for writers who like to prank others. In my early days of writing full-time, my son knew far more about computers than I did. (That hasn’t changed; he knows more about most things than I do.) So, one day before leaving for sixth grade, he did something. To this day, I don’t know exactly …
If you’ve been writing for awhile, you probably know that a frequent (perhaps the most frequent) question asked of writers is, “What are you working on?” People seem to be interested in the writing life and the flashes of genius that sometimes visit a person in that line of work. But it’s a loaded question. It took me awhile, but I eventually learned how dangerous the question is. Early on in my …
We all like to laugh. Writers with a knack for humor can find a large and eager audience. But humor can be tricky. If you want to write humor, The Christian Writers Institute has a couple of inexpensive lectures to review (find them here). In the meantime, writers need to consider at least a couple of elements. Novelists can use humor to reveal character and truths. Your mean-spirited villain can …
