I’m pleased to have award-winning author Catherine Ulrich Brakefield here today. Her inspirational historical romance, Swept into Destiny, released this week. Swept is her fifth book and the first of the four-book Destiny series. Visit Catherine’s blog and learn more about her and view her books. Catherine, what or who inspired you to write this…
Let’s admit it, writing a book is hard work and takes time. It’s not something you can do in a day or two. But you can write the draft of a magazine article in a day, and then spend the next few days revising it. And one of the best ways to hone your skill…
In today’s publishing world, writers perform a wide variety of jobs. A local writer friend of mine discovered that for herself recently and related her frustration to me. It would be great if a writer could just write. Instead, we are called to be editors, graphic designers, marketing majors, and social networkers. ~ Stacey M. Navigating…
Today, I’m visiting with author Dave Driver about his experiences with independent publishing. Dave says, “I should probably start with a caveat. I am much more abstract in my approach to most things I do in life than concrete-sequential. So, what you read below might resonate with abstract thinkers and not so much with concrete-sequential…
Another April-shower day glares at me through the office window. The same pile of papers on the floor stares up at me. The business paperwork on my desk demands attention. It all conspires against me, and I want to flee to the comfort of the couch, a cup of coffee, and a mind-numbing DVD. Because…
I rarely do a straight-out book review. In fact, I think this might the first one. I often recommend a book, especially those that have had a tremendous impact on my writing career in some way whether in skills learned or motivationally. But today, I feel compelled to talk about Writing the Heart of Your…
As a writer, I use Scrivener to create my documents—even my blog posts. As an editor, my primary tool is MS Word and Track Changes. While I’ve never asked other editors what they use, I’d venture they use track changes, too. That makes it critical for writers to understand what track changes are and how to…
For those of you who missed last month’s Facebook live Ask the Editor video, I’m sharing it here today. Never mind that I couldn’t seem to say my name that day–the hazards of live video. 🙂 The question is “Should I use real restaurants, stores, and places in my story?”