As December was getting closer to Christmas I noticed something going on in Romance Writers of America. I watched on Twitter in horror as it got worse and worse as December dwindled into memory. I watched as many people I know resigned from that august organization in dismay. I will not go into detail about…
Category: Blog
Short Story Book Clubs
Were you ever in a book club that fizzled-out? I’ve been in more than a few that went kaput. One common reason is that not everybody reads the assignment. Right? I’m here to suggest you switch to short stories. Why? First, the discussions are as satisfying as picking apart a full novel. Second, anyone can…
Writing and Happiness, Part 2
As I wrote in my last blog, I think that writing improves my life and makes me happy… most of the time. There are also moments when it makes me anxious, depressed and discouraged. The doubts creep in and gnaw away at my satisfaction and joy. I compare my work to that of other writers…
Chasing The Dream
I’ve made the point before that dissecting trade journals, studying and diagramming the latest trends in the fiction market, and trying to target your work to whatever is currently hot in the industry is the quickest way to drive yourself insane – even if you can churn out a bestseller in a matter of months…
Writing Tools – ProWritingAid
I love software tools. Anything that can help me organize my life and be more efficient and productive is going to get my attention. For example, I recently found a simple checklist app that’s helping me organize my day and make sure I get all my essential tasks done. Every morning it shows me a…