I recently came across a workshop presentation I gave many, many years ago on the “Top Ten Things to Do to Sell Your First Novel.” It was interesting to see what I thought were the keys to publishing success back then: 1) Finish your book. This seems obvious, but I still encounter writers who get…
Category: Blog
Return on Investment
Event: A four-hour slot to sell books at Off the Beaten Path bookstore in downtown Steamboat Springs. Date: Friday, February 15. Time: 4 to 8 p.m. Expenses: Seven hours of driving (354 miles round-trip, including the return home through a major snowstorm via Wolcott and Interstate 70). $79 for a room at the Travelodge in…
Short Story Craft, Part 2: Character
In preparation for the 2020 RMFW anthology, I’m doing a series of blog posts on elements of short story craft. Last month I covered the basics of plotting your short story. Now, let’s talk about your characters. If plot is the skeleton of a short story, characters are the muscle. They move the plot forward….
Want to be published someday? Check out RMFW’s Annual Education Event!
If you are a writer who intends to make money writing novel-length fiction, then mark your calendar, get on the computer, and get booked for RMFW’s Annual Education Event. The event is April 13th in Golden, Colorado. It starts at 8:00 a.m. and runs until 4:00 p.m. Registration includes the workshops AND breakfast AND lunch. The…
Sit some, sweat some, nourish your creativity!
If the only exercise you get is shuffling manuscript pages, poring over research, or hunching over your keyboard, listen up. Right now, without cheating, walk to a mirror with your current posture and look at yourself. Hours of sagging over your computer can do great harm. Ask me. In my early writing days, I was…