Archive for May, 2008
Do You Need A Literary Agent?
Ever bought a house? Wasn’t it nice to have a real estate agent who knew what they were doing so you wouldn’t have to? Imagine if you had to go it alone? A lot of writers do. Then again, a lot of writers have successfully established themselves without the assistance of an [...]
A Spark of Inspiration
Every once in a while I run across a truly inspiring story of a writer’s success. This is one that’s always spoke to me. It’s the story of how Nicholas Sparks landed his first publishing deal. Of course he is now an extremely successful author who has seen his books splashed across [...]
Your First Draft is A New Lawn
Who out there feels that their first draft needs to be perfect? Please raise your hand if you fall into this group. Is your hand raised? You can lower it now and resume writing.
Think of your first draft as you would a new lawn. You’ve cultivated the soil, seeded it with ideas, characters, and [...]
Don’t Read This
Did I get your attention? A lot can be said for a title. So how does one choose the right title? Is it true that a great literary work can sit undiscovered in a publisher’s slush pile because of a bad title?
Don’t worry. There is no magic ingredient to a great title. [...]
Your Novel is Ready but Are You?
You’re finished. Your mind is spent and you’re exhausted. It’s finally done. You’ve put the finishing touches on your novel, cut the scenes that didn’t move the story along, and corrected all spelling errors. You sit back and breath a sigh of relief. All of those hours put into it…*sigh*
Now [...]
A Villain to Remember
I love villains. Some of my most favorite characters in literature are villains. I’m using the term literature loosely here so that I may include protagonists like Dr. Doom (Marvel Comics), Darth Vader (Star Wars), and Ernst Stavro Blofeld (James Bond’s nemesis). What makes a villain memorable? Why do we love to hate certain bad [...]
Annual Writer’s Digest Competition
It’s that time of year again. The annual Writer’s Digest Writing competition is entering its 77th year. The Grand Prize is $3000 as well as a trip to New York city where the lucky winner can meet with editors or agents. Manuscripts can be submitted online. Hurry up though. The entry deadline is May 15th, [...]
Point of View Leaping
Not too long ago I sat down to begin work on a novel. It was one of those projects that captured my imagination to the point of excitement. I couldn’t wait to get started. After the first chapter I sat back and smiled. Then I read the last few pages. [...]
