by Eldred Bird I love a good mystery. I think I was the only kid in my school that had a subscription to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine—in fact, I’m pretty sure about that. Raymond Chandler, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie were my role models. They’re one of the major reasons I started writing, Read more
by Lisa Norman When I’m teaching, students ask me what the magic key to success is. My clients ask me, too. Just last week, I met a young writer who asked me this same question. He wanted to know the magic formula for success. In his email, I saw the same emotions I’d seen many Read more
by Julie Glover View of Pont Valentré and the River Lot in Cahors, France In 2021, my husband and I sold our house and ordered a new house to be built. When our apartment lease ended, the house was nowhere near ready. With rent about to jump substantially, we concluded that it wouldn’t be that Read more
by Joseph Lallo One of the first and most important lessons likely to come from any sort of writing instruction is this: Don’t waste words. In short fiction, you don’t have the words to spare. Spend too much time talking about something that doesn’t matter to the plot and pretty soon your tight little short Read more
by Karen DeBonis In May 2023, I will become a published author for the first time. Learning as I go and with every new tidbit of knowledge, I realize how much more there is to learn—launch teams, media interviews, book readings, blurbs, Amazon and Facebook ads, trailers, preorders… I have to do it all, I Read more
by L.A. Mitchell I’m often asked, “Who pays for ghostwriting?” An all-encompassing response escapes me. My clients are people with the desire and resources to chase dreams, but they lack essential components to get them to the finish line. For celebrities, entrepreneurs, and the elderly, that component is time. For publishers, companies, and professionals at Read more
Over the last few years, I’ve shared “Top 10” lists from several authors on the topics of writing and success. This list wouldn’t be complete without Kurt Vonnegut, one of our great American writers. He has inspired writers around the globe like Norman Mailer, John Irving, Michael Crichton, Margaret Atwood, David Sedaris, and J. K. Read more
By Kris Maze You’ve written a book. Or three. Or three hundred. You’re examining the road to publication. Or starting to query. Or multi-contracted. You’re dutifully working through your first draft. Or working with an editor. Or a publisher. Wherever you are in your writing career, it may feel frustrating, tiresome, or difficult to continue Read more
