What aspiring authors can learn from the self-publishing success of “The Martian”
If you follow book chatter, chances are you’ve heard about a sci-fi novel called “The Martian” in the last few months. Indie booksellers have been buzzing for a while about … Continue reading
Taking action: How one writer’s smart strategies helped her write & sell her first novel
If I had a dime for every story I’ve heard about a writer getting rejected, a book that never sold, a manuscript that languished on a shelf for years—well, I’d … Continue reading
Hoping to publish? Don’t skip the beta read
The email began, as so many seem to do these days, with a confession: “Nobody else has read my manuscript. I’ve been working on it for the past two years, … Continue reading
Refilling our creative reservoirs
Recently, I took a rare morning off and drove to Boston to visit the New England Aquarium. Though it was Saturday, I felt guilty as I drove down there, like … Continue reading
Tracking your drafts: Why version control is one of the most overlooked but critical aspects of writing
We’ve all been there: We’re editing our manuscript and decide a scene is just not working. So we delete it, move on, rewrite, revise—and then suddenly realize we need that original scene … Continue reading
The 8 reasons why most business documents fail (and how to fix that)
Proposals. White papers. Case studies. Newsletters. They’re a part of every company’s communication strategy. But how many people are actually reading these reports? If you’re making one of these eight mistakes, … Continue reading
The big writing secret you need to know if you want to sell your book.
I love language. Most writers do, I think. We love playing with words, manipulating prose, casting metaphors and painting imagery. We love making the words dance on the page. We … Continue reading
Why writing rules should be broken
Every year or so, I re-read a particular book I love: “The Condition,” by Jennifer Haigh. If you’re not familiar with the book, it’s an adult contemporary novel about a … Continue reading
The most critical element of a successful novel
When I was a journalist, I was an observer. My job was to notice people’s actions and reactions, what they said and where they were, and report those details in … Continue reading
Why you shouldn’t wait until you’re done writing to hire an editor
Last week, a writer-friend sent me his manuscript to edit. At 146,000 words, it was his opus and his albatross – a book he’d taken eight years to write, starting … Continue reading
