Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
All great novels contain a strong story premise.
Briefly, let’s review novel essentials:
The premise is your story idea stated in 2-3 sentences. Can you refine it into an elevator pitch? It often becomes a part of [Read more…] about The 4 Essential Elements of a Strong Story Premise
Conference season is gearing up, and writers’ conferences are one of the best ways to make connections in the publishing world. Many publishers accept only manuscripts pitched at conferences. Many accept only those that come through agents, and a conference is the place to connect with both publishing house acquisition editors and literary agents.
I realize attending a conference can get pricey, but good affordable conferences can be found. If the one you want to attend is beyond your budget this year, then start right now setting aside the money needed to attend next year.
There’s more to consider than just the actual cost of the conference. Add in: [Read more…] about Finding and Choosing a Writers Conference
Most writers don’t hear about a one sheet until they attend a writers conference. But it’s a marvelous marketing tool. Today’s post is by Therese Kay.
Therese is a writer, photographer, and lover of God. She recently collaborated on a visual devotional featuring her photography called Messages from God: An Illuminated Devotional. You can read her blog here and learn more about her writing, photography, and how she supports other creatives.
By Therese Kay
A one sheet started off as a music industry standard but has also found a home with writers and speakers as well. It is also known as a sales sheet or a one-pager. It is meant to be a snapshot that showcases your product with the goal of promoting it. It includes only the most relevant and valuable information about your product. [Read more…] about What’s a One Sheet? Plus a free downloadable template.
Are you feeling stuck or frustrated in reaching your writing goals? Like you’re hitting the same brick wall, but you can’t seem to identify what that brick wall is?
Today I’m going to look at 2 things many people don’t stop to think about, yet have a profound impact on reaching your goals.
Your mind can work for you or against you because your subconscious mind believes everything you tell it, without question. It accepts whatever you say, true or not. (For more on mind principles, read this post.)
Many writers are now 5 days into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I hope they are telling themselves “I am writing 50,000 words this month.” Because if you say “I’m going to try to write 50,000,” then your brain is going to find every little excuse to keep you from putting your butt in the chair to write.
Merriam-Webster’s Online Collegiate Dictionary defines mind-set as “a mental attitude or inclination.”
What is your mental attitude toward your writing? [Read more…] about How Do Mind-set and Beliefs Help Me Reach my Goals?
Last week I excitedly told you about Chris Fox’s book 5000 Words per Hour, and how I had added 914 words to my fiction WIP through 7 five-minute micro-sprints.
This week I wanted to bring you an update.
I upped my writing sprints to 10 minutes, and added another 1675 words.
One thing I found as I did my sprints is that if I only have a vague idea of what’s going to happen, I don’t know what to write. And my words per hour (wph) [Read more…] about Pantser, Plotter, Producer—Which One Are You?
Challenge.
Does that word strike fear and trembling into you or get you pumped?
Perhaps it’s my Marine Corps training or just part of my DNA, but I love learning. And I challenge myself to continually improve professionally and personally.
A few weeks ago I was listening to the Novel Marketing Podcast episode “How to Write 5000 Words an Hour with Chris Fox.”
Five thousand words an hour! Yeah, right, I thought. But I listened anyway. Something productive while I was washing dishes.
[Read more…] about Challenge your writing routine and discover new methods
Though I’ve never asked, I can’t imagine anyone considering sentence structure in their every day conversation. They just say what they want to say.
However, writers (and public speakers) must consider sentence structure because poor structure impacts the readers’ ability to comprehend the message, as well as their enjoyment of your story.
Defined, “sentence structure” is how you construct your sentence. Proper grammar is a part of that, but also includes length and complexity.
Keep reading to learn how your word choices and sentence length and complexity affect your story. [Read more…] about How to Use Sentence Structure to Make Your Story Better
Based on the nonfiction submissions I get for freelance editing and those I receive at CrossRiver Media Group, it seems as though a lot of people are writing nonfiction these days.
People read fiction for varying reasons, though entertainment leads the list.
However, I doubt most people read nonfiction for [Read more…] about A Checklist of 6 Basic Steps for Self-Editing Nonfiction