Quotes

Social media is a distraction from our writing. Social media can be a support system for our writing—creating community, building readership, and allowing us to practice our craft. Writer Twitter is definitely a Thing, with terrific advice in #askagent, and editors tweeting calls for submissions and pitches. Writer Facebook includes genre- and demographic-based groups that […]… Continue reading Instagram for Writers — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Anita Gill Recently Brevity’s Blog published “How Can Writers Confront Privilege? Read (and Write and Teach) About It” by LaRue Cook. In this article, Cook decided to tackle a question many white writers struggle with in this current literary landscape: “Should I be writing at all, or just reading and listening? How do white… Continue reading Writers Confronting Privilege: Another Examination — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Brianna Bell Last week Jeffrey Goldberg, mansplainer-in-chief at The Atlantic, wrote an article appearing to suggest that women can’t write 10,000 words. Women across the world nodded their heads in unison, “Yes, Mr. Goldberg,” they said. “Finally a white man who understands us.” I can’t write 10,000 words, because I’m a woman, of course. […]… Continue reading Ten Reasons Why Women Writers Can’t Write 10,000 Words, Written by a Woman Writer — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

The biggest misconception about social media for writers is that it’s free. Sure, we don’t pay to subscribe to Twitter, there’s no cost-per-click to view our friends’ news on Facebook. But there’s still a price, and what we’re paying is time and privacy. What do we get in return? Genuine connection. Relationships with people we’ve […]… Continue reading Getting Personal — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By James Irwin During my most recent trip to India I was invited to speak as part of a series called The Other Side, in which business leaders share stories about how they rebounded after failures and setbacks. At my advanced age I have plenty of those, but I decided to tell them The Big […]… Continue reading I’m Not Sure a Pseudonym is Really Me, and Other Debates — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter My fingers manipulate keys, navigating Facebook. Arrowing down, the cursor lands on a picture, and I hear, “Two people and a Baby.” Great, I think, no context. I continue to arrow down, finding another picture. This time, the electronic buzz of my computer’s voice says, “Man in sunglasses.” Again, zero context for […]… Continue reading Two People and a Baby: On Accessibility and Literary Publishing — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Beth Finke Like so many of the other young people flocking to journalism school at the end of the 1970s, I was sure I’d become the next Woodward or Bernstein. But then the spots showed up. “Retinopathy,” the eye specialist said. During my months in the hospital for eye surgeries, a social worker suggested […]… Continue reading Elements of Style: A Blind Writer’s Bible — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Liz Melchor Last Sunday, I went to the track. To run one mile. I was there with everyone from my CrossFit gym. We were timing it to get a baseline. Retest in April. The measurement was supposed to motivate us. I hate running. Despise it. But okay, I am in. Let’s get better at […]… Continue reading Chasing Crappiness: One Writer’s Journey — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Samuel Autman I wish I could say reading novels by James Baldwin or Toni Morrison spurred me on to becoming a writer, but my career choice is more likely tied to my Southern family’s penchant for spinning tales, my comic strip heroes Clark Kent and Peter Parker, and the fact that I was seven-years-old […]… Continue reading Daily Newspapers Still Offer Superb Training for Young Writers — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog

By Stephanie Weaver You might have heard writers say, “Blurbs don’t sell books unless they come from big-name authors.” I don’t agree and here’s why: getting creative with how you use blurbs from lesser-known authors might indeed help sell your book. When my book The Migraine Relief Plan came out in 2017, I knew I […]… Continue reading Creative Marketing with Book Blurbs — BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog