Five Ways NOT to Attract an Editor’s Attention
© 2013 W. Terry Whalin Will Rogers is credited with saying, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” As an acquisitions editor, I read book…
Humor in Fiction
© 2013 Sandra Balzo When I sat down to write my first Maggy Thorsen coffee mystery, Uncommon Grounds, I didn't intend it to be humorous. Why I didn't realize that having…
Creating a Quality e-Product
© 2013 Susan K. Stewart Publisher’s Weekly reported that e-book sales rose by 117% in 2011 while print sales fell. That trend seems to be leveling off now. So for most…
From Soup to Nuts
© 2013 Tracy Crump One mistake authors make in trying to write for Chicken Soup for the Soul and other anthologies is covering too much ground. Chicken Soup wants short stories, not…
Writing Devotions
© 2013 Dianne Neal Matthews I attended my first writers’ conference with my only two samples of writing: an article for the manuscript evaluation and a short piece about a…
Make Your Story Captivating
© 2013 Frank Ball People who most need to hear our messages aren’t listening because they live in a video world that is more exciting than what they see in…
Think Like a Kid—Write Like a Pro
© 2013 Donna Shepherd What’s your first step in writing a book for children? When I start a new project, I begin by thinking like a kid. Remember asking Mom…
Using Food to Create an Appetite for Your Novel
© 2012 Alice J. Wisler "One cannot think well, live well, sleep well, if one has not dined well," wrote Virginia Woolf. That quote grabbed me, and I used it…
Promo Kits That Sell!
© 2012 Kathy Carlton Willis You’re a writer and you need to get word out about your projects. You’ve heard of one-pager promotional materials, but how do you use them…
Wild Apostrophes
© 2012 JoAnn Reno Wray I haven’t read articles in the newspaper, seen Internet stories, nor heard it reported by TV newscasters, but I’m convinced a large herd of wild…