It's all right there––in your head. Your dream project, your book. You know what you will say in it, you know what it will look like. You begin to write, it grows page by page, chapter by chapter. One day it is finished. Soon you will find a way to publish it. But ask yourself: … Continue reading Can You Maintain Your Identity As A Writer?
Writing
Are You Reading The Author You Expected?
It came to me after reading Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code first, his preceding novel Angels and Demons second––this awareness of author growth. I found both books enormously entertaining, yet the greater sophistication of the former in contrast to the latter was clear. I suppose I had not previously thought in terms of author … Continue reading Are You Reading The Author You Expected?
Take A Trip, Clear Your Mind
Writing is a routine. It must be. The brain adjusts well to regimentation, it likes to know when to start being creative and when to stop. I don't banish thoughts or ideas about my books during other hours, but I sit down to type at the same time every day. Every day. That is the … Continue reading Take A Trip, Clear Your Mind
The Value of Writers Conferences
Having just returned from my second writers conference in six months, I find it natural to contemplate the value received versus the fiscal drain. Most conference attendees , at least those to whom I speak after their conference is done, tend to evaluate the experience in terms of useful gain. That is to say, what did … Continue reading The Value of Writers Conferences
The New Editing Conundrum
Like most writers, I am excited about the advances in digital publishing. In past columns I have detailed the many advantages we currently experience and those we anticipate in the future. There are, however, some less delightful aspects of the new Indie Publishing revolution, as I have discovered recently. This article is not about those … Continue reading The New Editing Conundrum
Do You Really Need An Editor
Editors are engaged in a task which never ends. No work is ever complete, no manuscript ever reaches perfection. I know this, because when I review my own work, there is always something I need to change. Certainly every writer should seek different perspectives on his/her work. Everyone is subject to their own brain orientation, … Continue reading Do You Really Need An Editor
Why Their Success Story is not Your Success Story
Recently, while reading an encouraging piece about someone’s ten steps to successful book marketing, it dawned on me that there might possibly be more authors of how-to-succeed books than people who are actually successful authors. Let’s face it, how-to-succeed books are a tremendous market. We are drawn to them like bears to honey. In a … Continue reading Why Their Success Story is not Your Success Story
How I Write
If you write books, sooner or later you will be asked how you came to write them, in essence why have you written what you have written the way you have written it? I have been asked such questions. I have even been asked, “Do you use a formula or something?” Well, yes. The genesis of … Continue reading How I Write
Some Thoughts on Launch parties
I have done three launch parties to date and would like to share my thoughts and experiences. Before continuing I should define a launch party in my terms, as there are many concepts abroad. I see three purposes: to celebrate, to introduce, and to sell. So it should indeed be a party, which means refreshments and … Continue reading Some Thoughts on Launch parties
Who’s Got The Time?
I've just read a very interesting post by Elizabeth Spann Craig. She talks about hybrid authors, that is, those who both self-publish and publish traditionally. She has done both. Long and short, she felt her traditional publishing profile help stimulate her self-published books, which are now selling even better than her trad books. Okay, not … Continue reading Who’s Got The Time?
R Lawson Gamble 