Susan Smith So you’ve finished a draft of your novel and you’re ready to submit to agents and editors. You’ve checked it, you’ve read it. A few friends said it’s good to go. Not so fast. Susan Smith has just the class for you—a special extended class at Colorado GOLD, one of the Friday morning…
Blog
Research status? Confusing, cluttered, and chaotic!
Research, both noun and verb, means to investigate for facts—explore, analyze, delve into. But what’s next? I overheard an author, I think Susan Spann, say that by writing a rough draft first, she then knew what research she needed. A quarter of the way through self-editing my final draft, I tested Ms. Spann’s idea. By…
The Element of Surprise
I recently started a new project at my day job, with a new team of coworkers. Naturally, the writer in me began studying these people in search of writing fodder. After just a few interactions, I could paint a picture of my colleagues’ personalities in broad strokes. Character A: confident and self-assured. Character B: easygoing…
Pitching: It’s not just for baseball!
Every writer hears about pitching, especially when it comes to conferences and events like Colorado Gold, where agents and editors will be taking pitch appointments. I believe writers need to have two kinds of pitches: one for those all-important “professional” pitch opportunities, and one I consider a “networking” pitch. A networking pitch is similar in…
Conference 411: Part 3
Hurry, save $50! Registration is open for the 2019 Colorado Gold Conference. If you haven’t yet registered, get to it—you’ll be so glad you did! One reason: the conference price goes up by $50 on July 31. Beat that date and save. If you’re already registered, welcome! This year’s conference has a powerful lineup of literary…