A Fun Contest That’s Worth Your Time
I blame Sherene Gross for my addiction. She entered the NYC Midnight Contest a couple years ago, and kept me updated on her progress as she wrote, submitted, and advanced in their short story contest. Now, I don’t write short stories, or anything that I can’t use in a novel, but she seemed to be…
Read MoreThe Difference Between Romance & Women’s Fiction
I’ve been thinking about this lately, because I’ve written a women’s fiction that is in with an editor now (cross your fingers for me!). I’m very familiar with the subject, because I helped to found the Women’s Fiction Writers Assn. I’ve also published 11 romances. My first book, The Sweet Spot, I wrote as Women’s…
Read MoreBuilding a Writing Routine
rou·tine /ro͞oˈtēn/ performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special reason. Note, I didn’t use the term, ‘habit’. A habit is an impulse to do a behavior with little or no conscious thought. Not doing a habit feels uncomfortable, like not washing your hands after using the toilet or not flossing…
Read MoreFirst Page Critique
I’m currently teaching my First Five Pages class at Lawson Writer’s Academy (psst – you can still sign up!) I love helping writers strengthen their all-important openings. Joe Zarek is one of my past students, and has agreed to allow me to share his ‘before and after’ first page. Kudos to him for working so…
Read MoreGetting Busy – Remember How?
Okay, this is a weird post for me. Anyone who knows me will tell you – I am an organized person. I plan. I schedule. I get more out of a day than anyone. That used to be true. But then the pandemic hit. Our lives slowed. Shrunk. Plans went in the crapper. And now…
Read MoreWriting Wisdom from the Best Sellers
I collect wisdom quotes. One subsection of that is writing wisdom. And some of the best comes from the best. Here’s a sampling for your edification & inspiration: Neil Gaiman: ‘Remember: When people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think…
Read MoreWhen ‘In Medias Res’ Works, and When it Doesn’t
You may have heard conventional writer wisdom dissing action beginnings: car crashes, police chases – everything bad happening at the opening, right up to and including Armageddon. I’m not here to do that. I mean, think about it. Thousands of movies start that way, right? Remember though, movies are visual storytelling. They are usually faster-paced…
Read MoreRandom Recommendations for Writers
You know when you tell your friends about the latest life hack you discovered? This is the writer equivalent. The coolest, bestest stuff I can’t live without. And no, no one paid me for an endorsement – these are things I believe in. Blogs & Info: The Passive Voice – ‘a lawyer’s thoughts on authors,…
Read MoreAuthor as Brand in 2021
I was alerted to the following video, and if you have the time, watch it. Totally agree with Alexa Donne: The good, the bad, the ugly. I’m going to address them backwards (because, as with my books, I’ll never leave you in a bad place). Oh, and by the way, this will be mostly slanted…
Read MoreQueries – They’re Not Just for Agents
I’m teaching my Submissions That Sell! class at Lawson Writers Academy the whole month of March (click the link to check it out). When you think of queries and submissions, you think agent, right? But nowadays a query is good for a lot more than that. You can use it to submit to small presses…
Read More