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When The Call Comes… Answer It!
Don’t Delay Writing The Story You’re Meant To Share With The World. Every writer anticipates the phone call from a literary agent offering a partnership. Or that call from a publisher sharing the news that they’d like to publish your book. Of course, there’s the rare call from Oprah announcing your book has been selected…
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Stepping Into the Negative Space
From posting your child’s graduation picture on Facebook, to sharing a business win on LinkedIn, there will be backlash. Whatever the reason, social media invites negativity. Thoughtless commentary and hurtful, snarky remarks go hand in hand with stepping into the social media space. Now, imagine this from the author’s perspective. Readers are very interested in “seeing” you, hearing…
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Writing The Old-Fashioned Way
I wrote my first novel longhand. No, I’m not that old that I didn’t have a laptop, but I didn’t have the sleek light-weight versions we do today. You’re probably wondering why I would do such a thing when I had a laptop and desktop in my apartment. Let me take you back a ways.…
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The Distracted Writer
Each writer has their unique approach. Time for writing, style of writing, approach to writing, location for writing, and of course content of writing. The diversity of authors and stories is growing like never before. It’s exciting. It’s applauded. But what about the diversity in “how” people write? I’m a writer wondering if there’s anyone out…
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Cast Your Characters
I attended a writer’s weekend where the group leader challenged attendees to cast their characters in their current manuscript. We dug in, flipping through magazines and printouts, searching for celebrities or models who visually represented the fictional characters in our books. The workshop leaders even challenged us to take it one step further and write…
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The Story of My Settings
They say you should write what you know. Many of us writers start with something we know. Then we take it to the next level. For example, I doubt that J. K. Rowling has ever met a wizard (one could hope), but she’s been down on her luck, like her protagonist Harry. She may even…
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My Eat, Pray, Love, Year of Writing Fiction
I recently spoke with a friend of mine about my decision to quit my job and step into the writing world full-time. When I told him that I’ve finally found the space in which I belong, I quickly followed it with an apology. Jokingly, I’d admitted that now that I’m fully entrenched in the writing…
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My James Patterson Encounter
I wish I were writing to tell you about my recent sit down with the New York Times Bestseller, but unfortunately, I’m not. I don’t get the chance to rub elbows with celebrities that much. Still, I am going to share a story that has stuck with me until this very day. Years ago, when…
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When I Finally Called Myself “A Writer”
While my full-time job is not in the writing world, thankfully, it does provide a plethora of options to scratch this creative itch—writing books, articles, and posts. But here I am, in my side hustle as “a creative writer.” Yes, I have had some luck getting published, but it was long before that success that…
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How Writers Support One Another
As writers, authors, readers, and members of the literary world, we know the importance of supporting one another. While we don’t always do so—we are human after all—it is something that those in the realm of books do more often than not (at least that’s what I’ve experienced). To give you a snapshot: Recently, I…