M.C. Grammar…. ???
A pseudo-good idea gone hopelessly strange. Only two minutes long.
Writing Craft
The Synopsis Tells the Tale
Because the synopsis is so critical to a proposal, I decided to write this spin-off of last week's blog, "Keys to a Great Synopsis," in hopes of helping authors not only write more effective synopses, but to impart a bit about the fiction market, too.
When I read synopses from authors, much is revealed. For instance, I see:
Cozy mysteries that are meant to be romance.
Gothic plots presented …
A Time to Share
I’ve been thinking for awhile that I’d like to do some mini workshops on this blog. Now, I have a boatload of topics I could teach on. After all, I’ve taught or keynoted at writers’ conferences all over the country for the last 30 years. But here’s the thing, I don’t want to teach just another workshop. I want to help you with the issues you’re facing in your writing. So here’s your chance to …
News You Can Use – May 29, 2012
Self-Publishing: Under 10% Earn a Living - An article out of Australia makes a bold claim. I would claim, however, that only 10% of traditionally published writers earn a living too. Of course that depends on your definition of "a living."
100 Best First Lines from Novels - In honor of the last two weeks where we talked about "first lines" I found this article from the American Book Review that …
Keys to a Great Synopsis
When I posted my ideas on some Keys to a Great Book Proposal, a few writers said they were challenged to write a synopsis. I agree that writing an interesting synopsis is difficult. However, it’s not an element you want to omit from your proposal because a synopsis orients the editor to the book’s contents. Here are my answers to often-asked questions: 1.) Do I need a …
What’s MY Line? (First Lines – Part Two)
I loved reading your favorite first lines last week. Isn’t it amazing how the right first line sets the stage, how it can pull readers out of reality deep into the story that’s being woven around them? I’m always awed at the power of the written word.
As I said last week, a group of writer friends likes to share the first lines of their works in progress. JUST the first line. Not the first …
Fun Fridays – May 8, 2012 -The Chaos of English Pronunciation
Fun Friday - May 18, 2012
Quoted in its entirety from The Better Spelling Society (read their article the history of this piece). My favorite is the last stanza that reads "which rhymes with enough? Though, through, bough, cough, hough, sough, tough??"
The Chaos - by Gerard Nolst Trenité
This version is essentially the author's own final text, as also published by New River Project in 1993. A …
In the Beginning…First Lines of a Book
I don’t know about you, but I love great first lines. First lines that intrigue or challenge, that captivate and spark strong emotion or curiosity. Some writers spend hours, even days crafting that perfect first line to draw readers into the book. For others, the line is just…there.
A group of author friends loves to play the first-line game, where we share the first line from our WIPs. I like …
Goodbye to Traditional Publishing?
by Steve Laube
Recently Ann Voss Peterson wrote of her decision to never sign another contract with Harlequin. One major statistic from the article is that she sold 170,000 copies of a book but earned only $20,000.
Multiple clients sent me Peterson’s “Harlequin Fail” article and wanted my opinion. My first thought is that this was typical “the publisher is ripping me off” fodder. But …
Writing to Market: Bad Advice?
Throughout my career I've seen various responses to the advice that declares "Write to market!" In other words "write what sells" because that is what is most important for a writer. Is this good advice or bad advice?
It is both.
Here is when it's bad advice: When you're made to feel you have to write a certain type of book just to break into the market, any market.
If you think, for …