Quotes

by Mindy Halleck In 2011,I embarked on one of the harshest undertakings; I placed what I thought was the final draft of my novel in a drawer for one year. Why? Because, as I told others in my most knowledgeable author voice, “A writer needs distance from their material before editing and rewriting.” via How Objects… Continue reading How Objects Tell Your Story — A Writer’s Path

It’s happening. I’ve hit a wall in my novel. My second novel, A New Beginning, the sequel to A Story to Tell, is much more of a challenge than the first. My husband keeps saying I need to take a break from it and walk away but he doesn’t understand that in my head these […]… Continue reading Creatively Thinking: What to do when you hit a wall in your novel writing — Boondock Ramblings

It’s no secret that I’m currently revising a manuscript. I’ve been talking about revising a lot lately and giving glimpses into what my revision process looks like. I’m currently on my third draft of a multi-POV sci-fi novel, and I am still smoothing out my character motivations. (What can I say? It can be tricky! […]… Continue reading Tracking Character Motivations with a Free Spreadsheet — Shannon A Thompson

What are the top reasons literary agents reject a manuscript? Seven literary agents each share the top three reasons why they turn down a manuscript. FEATURED AGENTS: Cortney Radocaj, Literary Agent, Belcastro Literary Agency Twitter: https://twitter.com/CortneyRadocaj Website: https://www.cortneyradocaj.com/ Agency page: http://www.belcastroagency.com/about_us/ Kaitlyn Johnson, Literary Agent, Corvisiero Literary Agency Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaitylynne13 Freelance editing: http://www.kjohnsonfreelance.com/ %5B…%5D via iWriterly… Continue reading iWriterly Video: Literary Agents Share the Top Reasons Why Manuscripts Are Rejected in the Query Box — iWriterly

One of the biggest newbie writer mistakes is thinking you’re the exception to the rule. Let’s talk about why that mindset could hurt your success as a writer. This video is broken into two sections: Thinking We Are the Exception to the Rule: Mindset Overview Unhealthy Writer Mindsets & Rules Writers Think They Don’t Have […]… Continue reading iWriterly Video: Common New Writer Mistake: You Are Not the Exception to the Rule — iWriterly

Outside feedback is vital to the success of your manuscript. As I’ve quoted many times before on my YouTube channel, according to Terry Pratchett: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” Our first drafts are imperfect translations of the perfect story in our minds. This version of the story isn’t ready for […]… Continue reading Writers Helping Writers Blog: How to Find Critique Partners & Beta Readers — iWriterly

How can self-published authors get their books into libraries in the US? In this iWriterly video, Meg LaTorre interviews a librarian from the Sparta Library to answer that very question. One super cool thing about this interview is that David Costa from the Sparta Library looks into the library’s database to see what indie authors’ […]… Continue reading iWriterly Video: How Can Self-Published Authors Get Their Books Into Libraries in the US? — iWriterly

We know that daily writing goals and being proactive creates a great forwards momentum for our novels. Yet putting that into practice can sometimes feel like a mountain to overcome and before we know it, writing has turned from a wonderful pastime, into a herculean beast that we can’t face. via Time to Write, Don’t Procrastinate… Continue reading Time to Write, Don’t Procrastinate — Lorraine Ambers

The inspiration for this post was an interview with Jill Weatherholt last Friday, where I admitted to being banned from the grocery store. This gave rise in the comment section an idea by Jill that I detail in a Top Ten post what not to do if one is asked to go shopping. I […] via… Continue reading Ten Things Not to Do If You are Asked to Go to the Grocery Store — Fiction Favorites

This week marks the anniversary of the world’s first telephone directory issued by the New Haven Connecticut Telephone Company containing the names of its 50 subscribers. Most of us are always interested in the release of a new book. This one is only one page but is the first of its kind, so we should […]… Continue reading Top Ten Things Not to Do at the Issue of the First Telephone Book in 1878 — Fiction Favorites