Image by WikiImages from Pixabay Set GOALS! You can’t score at home plate unless you touch each base. Set small goals to achieve the large, final goal. Stories that lead to deep discussion, (i.e. controversial or with plenty of deep emotions) = unforgettable = attention to your book and you = marketing and sales. Fine…
Tag: writing tips
When life hands you lemons…write them into a story
I’ve been teaching a night class at the local community college about writing fiction with the intent to someday be published. Not teaching how to write, but exposing new writers to the concepts, lessons, rules, and “secrets” that, if I’d known them 20 years ago, would have saved me hundreds of hours of editing, rewriting,…
Getting the Words to Flow
It used to be rare that I got stuck while writing a book. But lately, with my time more fragmented and no deadlines except those I impose on myself, I’ve found myself clawing my way through first drafts. To try and get the momentum going again, I’ve gone back to the techniques that served me…
Write What You Know
“Write what you know.” That was Mrs. Frances Toepfer’s advice on the first day of English Composition class at Abraham Lincoln High School in southwest Denver more years ago than I wish to acknowledge. She then raised her glasses from the chain around her neck and studied us for a moment, expecting, I suppose, questions….
My Top Ten, Revisited
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…