How much thought do you give to point of view (POV) as you begin a new story? The best POV for your story is not always the protagonist or even the antagonist. Consider how different the book To Kill a Mockingbird would have been if told from Atticus’ POV. Or Gone with the Wind from…
This past Saturday I discovered a website offering my newest ebook, Carried by Grace, for free. What a shock! Piracy of my ebooks is something I never expected. It’s bad enough getting robbed at home (a 4-time occurrence for me, ugh), but now people are attempting to rob me online. Hackers and thieves—I dare not…
Please welcome Robin Tidwell to this month’s Friday Feature Author Interview. Robin writes books in the dystopian genre, a genre that has grown a great deal in popularity in recent years. Her journey to publication also led her down the road to becoming a publisher herself. Robin will be available all day to respond to…
Comma, semicolon or colon, which one should I use? Have I mixed past and present tense verbs in my story? Do my subjects and verbs agree? Do I have misplaced modifiers? Aaahhh. English grammar can be infuriating and confusing. But a manuscript riddled with incorrect grammar is a sure-fire trip to File 13. What do you…
Precise verbs are important to every great book, be it fiction or non-fiction. In fact, where preciseness is concerned I can say that about nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and . . . Okay, all parts of speech. During the draft process, you are focused on getting the ideas out of your head and into the…
I’m visiting today with author Linda Rooks who writes books for adults and children. Linda has a lot to share, so we’ll dive right in. Linda, give us a bit of background on yourself. My writing journey began when I was in 6th grade. My teacher gave a writing assignment to the class. She liked…
You spend time reading a blog post because the topic strikes a chord. You’re right there experiencing exactly what the blogger is talking about. You leave a comment along with a question that probes deeper into the topic. The next day you visit the blog to see if anyone has replied to your question. But…
Grant Money The SCBWI Book Launch Award (must be a member of SCBWI), entries submitted June 1 – July 1, 2015, http://www.scbwi.org/awards/book-launch-grant/ The SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators), offers several other grants for members. If you’re a children’s book writer, investigate membership. If you haven’t visited FundsforWriters yet, be sure you do. It’s…