Tag Archives: #publishing

Let It Suck Series: What Would Your Character Do?

We’ve agreed to “let it suck” on first draft, yes? Just let it rip with the writing and get a draft completed. And we’ve been discussing ways to find and refine your work during rewrite.  Now let’s let the character … Continue reading

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Let It Suck Series: revisiting “Write Better With Character Profiles”

As part of the “Let It Suck” series of posts, I wanted to discuss how knowledge of your characters informs writing decisions, and this post seems crucial to include, so I am reprinting it as a companion to this week’s … Continue reading

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Let it suck series: Setting up setting

Elmore Leonard famously advised writers to “try to avoid the parts that readers skip”. This is a definite risk when it comes to describing where your characters are, so listen to the master when dealing with setting. I tend to … Continue reading

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Let It Suck Series: overwrite the scene, then pick up the scalpel

As we move beyond the blank screen and into our efforts as writers, we need to deal with scene work. The conventional wisdom is “enter the scene as late as possible and leave as soon as you can”, and I … Continue reading

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Let it suck revisited: the beginning of a series

Awhile back, I wrote the following blog, which basically advised people to push beyond fears about instant quality in writing and just “let it suck.“ I reprint it here as the beginning of a series of blog posts that focus on … Continue reading

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A big step for a small book

I don’t get nervous. That is what I keep telling myself as I pace the kitchen, boiling water for another cup of tea. Not nervous at all. Pace, pace. Not me. Pace, pace. Never. Today I join my partners in … Continue reading

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The USA is stronger than a magazine cover

There is a controversy now about the latest cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. It features an apparently cleaned up version of a headshot of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving Boston Bomber. Some say Rolling Stone has made him “look like a … Continue reading

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To self-publish or not to self-publish?

Indie Author News has published “Should You Self-Publish Your First Book?” seen on Scott Berkun’s website. I am in no way The Expert, but I believe, as a self-publisher who has won two awards for my first novel City of … Continue reading

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On Writing: Penning Permission

Joanna Penn, a writer, author and blogger you must find if you do not currently follow her, got mad recently, reacting to “an article that came out this week on one literary agent’s blog about whether your publisher will let … Continue reading

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On Writing: What I Learned at My First Book Fair

The thing about self-publishing is eventually you have to sell what you write. And while the digital book world continues to grow, I keep finding people who only want to read my book in print. As I have committed to … Continue reading

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