Biography
When I was a kid I spent a lot of time in the biography section of the one-room school library that served third through sixth grades. This section was packed with great American lives- -George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton. The stories of these folks...
So What Is This, Exactly?
Writing a novel is a lot of hard work. Selling a novel is harder still. But there’s an intermediate step that I’m struggling with right now. I have a completed and polished manuscript ready to send to prospective publishers but I don’t know what type of book it is,...
Family and Fiction Part One: Immediate Family (yikes!)
Anyone who writes will likely appreciate the support and encouragement of their family. I’ve already shared about my “First Reader” husband, a fellow who cheers when stories are sold and consoles when rejections roll in. He was as thrilled as I was when, in 2007, I...
Writing and Family
Anyone who writes will likely appreciate the support and encouragement of their family. I’ve already shared about my “First Reader” husband, a fellow who cheers when stories are sold and consoles when rejections roll in. He was as thrilled as I was when, in 2007, I...
The Writer’s Team, Part Two: The Critique Partner
Your new manuscript has made it past the First Reader with flying colors and a kindly criticism or two. Congratulations! Enjoy this victory while you can, because the next step can be a bit of an ego-buster. It’s time to pass your work on to your next literary judge....
The Writer’s Team, Part One: The First Reader
Writing is a solitary pursuit. Sure, all the characters in a book or story could keep the writer company, but they have their own lives to pursue. After weeks, months or even years of crafting an idea into a first, second, third, fourth draft and beyond, the lonely...