The wanabe novelist blues

This morning I listened to a interview of the author of “The Lost Sisterhood” (see video below) and I thought to myself “*I* have a story about Amazons!” and I got a little depressed thinking I will never get it done and published because I can’t afford to be a starving writer (or my family […]

Cover Art–What to Ask/Expect for Your Cover

Now that we are officially into NANOWRIMO, there is a great article about what expectations publishers have for covers and cover artists HERE. And don’t forget the blog from a few weeks ago HERE. Covers are no less important for self publishers. Get a great illustration for your ebook HERE or check out Kickstarter.com — […]

Getting Ready for NANOWRIMO

Do you have your ‘what if’ ready? Need some inspiration? Is your muse asleep or on strike?

I’m just not that into me

When Tolkien was trying to write Lord of the Rings, he didn’t have a blog. He didn’t even have an agent. He just had a very determined publisher. It took decades to finish and even longer for it to be printed. During this time, Tolkien did not go on publicity tours. He simply continued his […]

Evolution of a Book Cover

When people first started binding books, just the name on the side of the book was something only a skilled craftsman could do, embossing or stamping the leather that was used as the cover. But even the earliest books have decorative covers: Illuminated texts like The Book of The Kells, might have given people the […]

What Launches a Popular Writer?

Maybe I’m not as cute and fluffy as Stephanie Meyer, but my life story has got to be at least as interesting as JK Rowling. My writing career has been as long and twisted as a Clive Barker novel. My contact list is pretty short and my ability to do much of anything that seems […]

Getting Ready for NANOWRIMO

I’ve written two complete novels (neither one published, btw) with NANOWRIMO. I think it’s about the best idea to happen to writers since the invention of ebooks. Everyone has a story in them. Some of them are a little more interesting than others, but the great thing about NANOWRIMO turning thousands of amateurs into dedicated […]

Warming up for NANOWRIMO

Do you have your ‘what if?’ ready? http://www.amazon.com/What-Writing-Exercises-Fiction-Writers/dp/0062720066 http://ezinearticles.com/?Creative-Writing-Prompts—What-If?&id=3952836 http://www.writing.com/main/handler/item_id/770807-What-if-Prompts http://www.writingforward.com/journal-writing/journal-prompts/what-if-journal-prompts http://murderby4.blogspot.com/2009/07/writing-what-if-scenario.html

Muse Killers

When I am going through emotional trauma, I can’t write. I think that makes sense, mostly, but when it is over, I have a hard time recovering and writing again. I have to start with drawing, sometimes, or some other creative outlet. I wonder if other authors go through this or if it’s just so […]

We Are All Sinners

Writers have definite rules. We have Commandments, as I illustrated a few posts ago. Unfortunately, we also have heretics, sinners, apostates (not to be confused with apostrophe’s) and zealots. It is easy to become one of the aforementioned because not only are the commandments constantly changing–what edition are we on the Chicago Style?–they also contradict […]