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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 55

Writing Craft

What’s Your First Line?

By Karen Ballon November 19, 2014
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Listen! Do you hear it? It’s been there all month, echoing in the background. The sound of hundreds of thousands of fingers tap-tap-tapping away. Yes, it’s here again:

NaNoWriMo!

That grand adventure of joining with other writers worldwide from November 1-30 to uplift and encourage each other as you write a novel in a month.

A full novel.

In one month.

Sound impossible? Well, I confess I’ve never given it a try. But I know lots of writers who have and they love it. Love the camaraderie, love the sense that they’re not alone in the endeavor, love all the resources and pep talks they find at the NaNoWriMo website, love the sense of accomplishment. So this blog is to say kudos to those who have jumped in, whether for the first or tenth time! You’re getting close to the finish line, folks. So…

Kudos!

And now let’s give the NaNoWriMo writers–and the rest of us–a chance to share what many consider the most important part of your manuscript: the first line. We did this back in July, and it was great fun. So let’s give it another go.

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, your first line is all about engagement. Capturing attention, drawing the reader into your book, winning readers’ buy-in to the message only you can deliver. So let’s hear it, friends. Fiction or nonfiction, share the first line—and ONLY the first line–of your work in progress!

Here’s mine, from a nonfiction book I’m working on:

Deep in the soul of a writer is a dark, sneering voice that never shuts up.

Your Turn!

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Category: Craft, CreativityTag: first lines, NaNoWriMo, Writing Craft

Déjà Vu All Over Again – Indie (AND) Traditional Publishing

By Dan Balowon November 18, 2014
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The discussion of indie versus traditional publishing has been bothering me lately. I know it is still a relatively new issue that everyone involved in publishing needs to sort out, but what has been bothering me is that I know I have heard this kind of discussion before and could not think when. After much brain-racking, it finally dawned on me. It was in the 1980’s when personal computers were …

Read moreDéjà Vu All Over Again – Indie (AND) Traditional Publishing
Category: Book Business, TrendsTag: Self-Publishing, Traditional Publishing, Trends

Interviews Made Easy

By Karen Ballon November 12, 2014
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Writers had a lot of things going for them, but, generally speaking, there is one thing that can work against them when it comes to doing interviews… Writers tend to be introverts. So why does that work against you? Well, most interviewers will tell you that the #1 thing they avoid is dead space. You know, those painful moments of utter silence when nobody can think of anything to say. Or when …

Read moreInterviews Made Easy
Category: Career, Communication, Craft, Writing CraftTag: Career, Communication, Interviews

Another Day, Another Change

By Steve Laubeon November 10, 2014
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It is a long standing joke that if you think you know what a publisher is looking for, wait for Tuesday. Why? Because in one meeting everything can change. Suddenly they are looking for Texas NASCAR Romance but using an Urban Fantasy setting. Acquisitions often reflect the editorial and marketing staff of a particular publisher. And that too is another area of change. Tuesday… This past Tuesday …

Read moreAnother Day, Another Change
Category: Book Business, Book Business, Trends

Are You Being Too Transparent?

By Karen Ballon October 29, 2014
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Have you seen the show Blue Bloods? Great show—I mean, how can it not be with Tom Selleck? Do I hear an amen??—that focuses on solid family connections and deals with tough, current issues. The most recent episode made me sit back and go, “Wow. I needed that reminder.” So I’m going to share the gist with you, because it’s something we all need to keep in mind. In the show, Tom Selleck plays Frank …

Read moreAre You Being Too Transparent?
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, TrendsTag: Communication, Social Media, Transparency

2014 Bestseller List – Exciting New Developments!

By Dan Balowon October 21, 2014
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A little over a year ago I explored the issue of best-seller lists for Christian books (“The Mystery of the Bestseller List”). However, in the last thirteen months, much has changed. The New York Times is adding some new niche-lists to their collection, which will affect Christian titles. A company involved in gathering book sales data sold their research group to another company who …

Read more2014 Bestseller List – Exciting New Developments!
Category: Book Business, TrendsTag: bestseller list, Trends

Creative Outlets

By Karen Ballon October 15, 2014
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Ever notice how creativity has a way of coming and going? And when it goes, it always seems to be at the worst possible moment, such as when your book is due. Or when it WAS due. Weeks ago. But I’ve discovered a sure fire way to spark creativity, even at its most elusive: the Creative Change Up. There are so many ways to be creative, so when one outlet stops up, find a new one. For me, other …

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Category: Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Creativity

Did I Say That?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 9, 2014
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I think I talk more at a conference in one day that I do in a week at home. (Well, my family might dispute that. Just sayin’.) All that talk means I have plenty of times to say great things, witty things, funny things, and stupid things. Sometimes someone will tell me, “Three years ago you said, blah BLAH blah blah blah blah blah BLAH.” Really? I said that? Well, I probably did. …

Read moreDid I Say That?
Category: Career, Conferences, Get PublishedTag: Talking, writers conferences

How Readers Make Decisions What to Buy

By Dan Balowon September 30, 2014
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I hope you aren’t disappointed in the promise that I appear to make in today’s headline… I do not have the definitive, magic formula to successfully convince people to buy your book.  Like building an author platform, the answer is actually boring and possibly frustrating if you are in a hurry to be a success at writing. (It is always a good idea to lower expectations at the outset of …

Read moreHow Readers Make Decisions What to Buy
Category: Book Business, Book Business, Book Sales, Branding, Marketing, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, Book Sales, Word of Mouth

ACFW = A Successful Conference

By Steve Laubeon September 29, 2014
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We have all just returned from the ACFW conference in St. Louis where is “all fiction all the time.” It is a wonderful and unique experience to have over 600 novelists in one building all “making stuff up.” Every agent from our agency was there. And we had nearly 40 of our clients in attendance. I taught two classes (one co-taught with Tamela and another on contracts with …

Read moreACFW = A Successful Conference
Category: ConferencesTag: ACFW, writers conferences
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