Writing Craft

Redundant Redundancies

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 20, 2012

We all say them occasionally but should avoid redundancies in writing. I still see redundancies in query letters, and sometimes even in published novels — and I don’t mean an endearing speech marker a writer has bestowed upon a character. Here are just a few:

tiny little
add up
very unique
nodded his head
fiction novel
advance warning
close proximity
safe haven
hurry up
lag behind
nape of her neck
compete with each other
write down

Your turn:
What redundancies have you seen lately?
Do you use any you are trying to avoid?

The Elephant’s Goin’ Down!

By Karen Ballon September 19, 2012

by Karen Ball

You remember the old adage:
Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time!
As I’ve reviewed my calendar this week, I’ve realized that’s what I’ve got on the screen in front of me. An elephant.

Maybe two.

And they’re reaaaaallly big.

SO many things to get done before I board a plane early Wednesday morning and wing my way to Dallas for the ACFW conference. As …

Category: Book Business, Career, Writing CraftTag: Career, Time Management

To Conference We Shall Go!

By Karen Ballon September 12, 2012

The American Christian Fiction Writers’ conference (acfw.com) is just around the corner (Sept. 18-23 in Dallas, TX), and I’m seeing increasing buzz online about all the fun attendees are going to have. It’s true, too. Writers’ conferences are a lot of fun, especially those focused on the Christian market. In fact, I’ve equated them to church camp because the feel is very much the same. It’s a …

Category: Conferences, Get Published, KarenTag: Get Published, Writers Conference

Rejuvenate!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 6, 2012

By Tamela Hancock Murray

Of late, several popular Christian and secular bloggers have posted about unplugging for a time. I have enjoyed reading their ideas because I realize the importance of rebooting every once in awhile.

Years ago I read an article that said if being laid up with a broken ankle for six weeks sounded good to you, then you are too stressed out. At that moment, I knew I …

Category: Book Business, Career, Creativity, Personal, TamelaTag: Career, Rejuvenate

Paid Book Reviews?

By Steve Laubeon September 3, 2012

by Steve Laube You may have read or heard of the NY Times article where an author admitted to using a now-defunct service that wrote positive online reviews for a fee. Unfortunately I was not surprised. There have been many attempts to game the system over the years. One man bought thousands of his books in various locations to launch it onto the NY Times bestseller list (Read a report about it …

Category: Book Business, Marketing, SteveTag: bestseller lists, Book reviews, reviews

What is Your Catalyst?

By Karen Ballon August 29, 2012

I loved reading your responses about your catalyst for writing. So may wonderful motivations and stories in the making. Now what I want you to do, is take a look at what you listed as your catalyst and go deeper. And then deeper. Peel back the layers until you find the heartbeat of what is driving you to write. Sometimes its what drives you to write one particular book. Sometimes you’ll find that …

Category: Craft, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Catalyst, Writing Craft

Read All About It! – The Back Cover Copy

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 23, 2012

When you consider purchasing a book, either in a store or online, what do you notice first? The front cover grabs your attention. Right? After that, you might flip inside to read the first few sentences of the book, and then venture to the back cover (online the back cover is displayed as the “Description”). Or you may go to the back cover before opening the book. Regardless, the back cover copy …

Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: back cover copy, book proposals

Have You Discovered Your Catalyst?

By Karen Ballon August 15, 2012

I just spent 3 days or so with a wonderful group of women writers in a cabin in Tahoe. We explored the elements of powerful writing, and had a number of rousing discussions. But we really came alive when we explored this question:

“What is your emotional catalyst for writing this book?”

What, you may ask, is a catalyst? Well, if we were talking screenplays, the catalyst is that precise …

Category: Creativity, Get Published, Karen, Writing Craft

Kick Discouragement to the Curb

By Karen Ballon August 8, 2012

I don't know about you, but I loved Steve's blog post on Monday, When the Outlook is Bleak. People out there are HURTING.

I was with a friend a few days ago, a best-selling author who was battling an especially difficult edit. Difficult because the edits weakened the book rather than strengthened it. She'd uttered a series of gut-deep sighs, read me changes that I agreed didn't make sense, and …

Category: Encouragement, Get Published, Karen, Personal, Theology, Writing CraftTag: Discouragement, Encouragement

The Writers Conference Decision

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 2, 2012

The Right Conference?

As you pursue a writing career, one big question is how much time and money to devote to writers conferences. Conferences have many benefits, including the chance to meet face to face with editors and fellowship with writers. Some writers have plenty of time and money and love to attend conferences because the events get them out of the house and they enjoy meeting other …

Category: Conferences, Get Published, TamelaTag: Writers Conference, writers conferences