Writer-Gifts: Hints and Tips for the Non-Writers Who Love Us
This article was originally written for Fairfield County Writers, now Full Coverage Writers.
When you love a writer, gift-giving can be a horror story. If you've ever tried to find just the right pen, or to locate a form of notebook they'll use, but don't already have fifty of, you know I speak the truth. A zombie dog is easier to find than the perfect writer-gift, and sewer-dwelling clowns are less dangerous than getting it wrong.
Fear not. Your wise and inscrutable mentor is here to help.
Do-It-Yourself-Publishing: Would You? Should You?
This article was originally written for Fairfield County Writers, now Full Coverage Writers.
I am a self-published author: my book Knight Errant goes on sale today. Obviously I think DIY-publishing is a viable option. That doesn't mean it's the choice for everyone.
Some writers think of DIY-publishing as the "easy way." No gatekeepers, yeehaw! A couple clicks to get on Amazon, whoo! What they forget or never realized, is that the "gatekeepers" are a writer's allies.
Eleven Easy Ways to Blow NaNo
This article was originally written for Fairfield County Writers, now Full Coverage Writers.
O joy, o rapture! National Novel Writing Month is coming! Ah, NaNoWriMo! That ebullient time when even the most sensible among us take up caffeine and candy, give up on exercise and family, and face off against that most formidable opponent--our lazy procrastinating selves.
Some exist, however, that don't care about NaNo. Maybe you're one of them. Perhaps you've won enough--or you've never won, and you don't want to break that streak now. Very good, that's perfectly understandable. Here are some ways.
Hunting the Elusive Theme
This article was originally written for Fairfield County Writers, now Full Coverage Writers.
This seems to be something I’ve become good at–after the fact, at least. I can’t deliberately write to a theme, but I’m pretty good at picking one out later. I do it every time I do Holly Lisle’s One-Pass Revision, and I can’t imagine revising without it now.
But every time I do it, someone says they don’t know how I can.
Here’s the method that works for me. I'll be using an example from my own work.
This article contains spoilers for Queen's Man!
Beat the Block: It's About the Tools
This article was originally written for Fairfield County Writers, now Full Coverage Writers and published in three parts. I've left it in segments.
Writer's block. Combined, those two innocent words become one of the most dreaded phrases in the writer's vocabulary. Say it out loud and grown (writing) men blanch; the kindest of (writing) women may snarl.
Some writers claim to never be blocked. The rest of us either envy or disbelieve them. I think their definition is different. I believe we all run into walls at times. I've certainly been blocked enough that I've found some ways around that dang Block o' Nothing in my path. Some of these ways may just help you too.
