by Joanna Maciejewska If you look up online advice for writers, you’ll likely find a mention of beta readers and how crucial they are for improving one’s writing. Yet, with all the emphasis out there on finding a beta reader or ten, there’s very little said about how being a beta reader improves your own […]
Who wants more ideas? Who needs a brilliant thought? Who could stand a new insight? A fresh perspective? A story idea? Who needs more creativity? I know I do! I just wish I could turn on good ideas like I turn on the tap. It’s too bad our muse only shows up at inconvenient times […]
by Joanna Maciejewska Almost every advice out there tell aspiring writers they should read a lot. But the key is not devouring as many books as possible. It’s making reading into a lesson: studying plots, characterization, even the story’s style and vocabulary. There’s much more to reading as a writer than it is to reading […]
Have you ever read your work out loud? Long before you submit your work to your beta readers, before you assume that you’re done, before you start thinking about renting that billboard to advertise your latest literary genius, you should read your manuscript out loud. Start at page one. Finish at “The End.” And listen. And […]
By Olivia Folmer Ard In this digital age, an author’s internet presence can make or break her. Reputation, success, overall career—these are just a few of the things on the line when we power on our computers and plug into the virtual world. We’re all familiar with the horror stories about authors reacting badly to […]
The first pages of a book are like opening a door. I let myself go at the beginning and write with an easy mind, but by the time I get to the middle I begin to grow timid and to fear my story will be too long…That is why the beginning of my stories is […]
Guest blogger Sara Marschand explains her thought processes while she beta reads. A beta reader is often the first or second set of eyes a manuscript gets. Their purpose is to spot holes in a manuscript and communicate to a writer, who maybe a little myopic, that changes need to be made. For the last […]
by Katharine Grubb, 10 Minute Novelist We’re just a few days in to National Novel Writing Month and it can feel like you’ve decided to read a Russian novel. Last spring, I read War and Peace for reasons that I can’t quite remember. I think I wanted to add to my literary experiences. I think that I […]
It seems fitting to me to incorporate a tribute to libraries in my theme of Beautiful Words. Where else can you get access to free beauty? My local libraries have been very generous in helping me with author signings and events. I’d like to suggest the sooner you start loving your local library (and the […]
My 10 year old son knows a lot about football. He knows the most obscure penalty calls. He knows who the third string quarterback is for the Raiders, what college he went to and why he’d probably be taken by Miami next year. He knows who won every Super Bowl, who coached the winning teams […]
