The most creative minds in publishing are racing to develop iPad app editions of upcoming titles that will utilize the new device’s unique audio, video, interactive and social networking capabilities. The excitement is contagious! As a writer, you may want to start looking at how these apps … [Read more...]
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The Book Deal
The writer’s toolkit: Eavesdropping for dialogue
Listening in on random conversations -- okay, blatant eavesdropping -- is a time-honored technique for writers fine-tuning their ear and seeking authentic feelings with distinctive ways of expressing them. Norman Mailer did it If you practice eavesdropping, you're in good company. Norman Mailer … [Read more...]
How writers build courage
It takes courage and character to be a writer. It means accepting the risk of revealing yourself and overcoming fears of putting your honest feelings and dangerous ideas right there on the page. Facing that blank page in the privacy of your own mind and stripping away your defenses to confront … [Read more...]
The writer’s toolkit: A voice journal for character development
"A voice journal will keep your characters from becoming little versions of you." That advice comes from James Scott Bell, author of The Art of War for Writers, a new book of strategies and exercises for fiction authors. "You'll find yourself excited about your characters. You'll think about them … [Read more...]
Ask the editor: Tips for blending in the backstory
Q: There's some background information I need to include so my narrative makes more sense. How can I do that without breaking the flow of the story? A: Many writers struggle with blending in historical context and a who's who of key characters from the past whose influence has led up to their … [Read more...]
YA is red hot: Tips from 3 top agents
Psst! Wanna write a scorcher for the booming YA market? OK, here's the secret: The first thing you need to do is create an authentic, quirky, true-to-life voice. The story and characterizations in Young Adult fiction are crucial too, of course, but the most important element is that … [Read more...]
Writing a memoir: 7 tips for defeating your inner critic
"Writing a memoir is an act of courage. Be brave. It means exposing who you really are, which is hard to do, even to yourself." That advice comes from a conversation I had recently with Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D., President of the National Association of Memoir Writers. She's the author of a new … [Read more...]
Ask the editor: Help with transitions and bridges
Q: Someone in my writers group complained that my plot is hard to follow. Can you help? A: You might need to work on the transitions -- the glue that makes a seamless narrative. You might need to add a few words of clarification or entire new passages to bridge the gaps. Your reader could be … [Read more...]
Lighting up your reader’s brain: Can neuroscience teach you to be a better writer?
What if a reader's neocortex actually lit up because he recognized your cab driver's distinctive Hoboken snarl? Or her hypothalamus sent off sparks because she could practically taste the creamy hot chocolate with handmade vanilla marshmallows that your heroine sipped at the Bittersweet Café? … [Read more...]
Why book publishers love short stories
Short story collections are big business. Thousands of anthologies are in print with many more published each year. A quick look at Amazon shows 29,000 story collections listed. Of those, more than 3,500 are anthologies of stories by a single author. That may surprise some short story writers, … [Read more...]
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