You can create a great headline, a dynamic first sentence, and a brilliant lead paragraph. But if you can't hold readers during those middle paragraphs, they'll never see your conclusion.What can you do? Here are seven ways to anchor that wayward reader from your first paragraph to your last:1. QUESTION... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep to ourselves, because we fear that if word got out, readers would immediately become disillusioned and abandon us. It's not as bad as a reviewer spoiling a twist in the plot of a book, I suppose. Those people should be... Read More
On the first day of a bright and shiny new year, stretching out ahead of us full of possibilities, it's so easy to feel a sense of determination. ("This year I'm DOING it! I'm going to write a book / lose weight / take more time for myself... etc etc.)But... Read More
Bookcoaching clients come to me at different stages of writing their books. The ones who start from ground zero with a coach and learn what goes into each chapter to make it more readable and sell better. The ones who have been writing a long time, a year or so... Read More
Virgil, the great Roman poet, wrote "Practice and thought might gradually forge many an art." From this we can assume that practice comes before thought, and so it is with present day writers.What must be practiced? If one is to be a successful writer then one must be able to... Read More
In the current job market, many editorial workers have turned to freelancing as a matter of survival. I receive many queries from applicants regarding how to go about freelancing.Here I will address what, in my opinion, is the single most important asset you need to build a successful freelance career.... Read More
My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the most important thing about humor?" After a short pause, he interjects, "TIMING!"I've rolled my eyes many a time over this joke.But here's a new version for writers: "What's the most important thing about writing funny? ...... WORDING!"Whether you're talking about... Read More
Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE.Writing, like other forms of art, work or talent, requires discipline. It won't ever be enough that you say to yourself that you are a writer. Only when you write and write with discipline can you call yourself one. Before you can earn a... Read More
When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and visions depending on our framing. It could trigger a lone man with a full astray, unshaven, staring at an old plunking typewriter with white blank crisp paper waiting in anticipation for his words. If a mother or younger, it could... Read More
These are some of the snapshots I carry with me: My father coming up to visit me after first being diagnosed with leukemia. The visit was a surprise, and he brought a new computer with him. As he carried it into the house, he said, "This isn't yours, but I'm... Read More
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Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
What do you mean, you don't have a website yet?... Read More
The short-short story has been likened by some as being... Read More
The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears... Read More
People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the... Read More
GAINING WRITING EXPERIENCE Some Catch-22, huh? In... Read More
Punctuation, when used creatively, is powerful. Note, however, that when... Read More
Human beings seem to be born with a gene for... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More
As a previous article ("Making Better Word Choices ? 4... Read More
When the writing bug hits you, get out your pencil,... Read More
At some point along the way, most of us have... Read More
We've all seen those ads that grab our attention and... Read More
In one of the exercises in my "Getting Started as... Read More
Good writing is like sex. Two people are involved ?... Read More
Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are... Read More
How do you describe a scene without slowing down the... Read More
What am I going to write about?Which topic is the... Read More
During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More
Quite a few years ago, I enrolled in a Degree... Read More
Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Read More
Do you consider yourself a storyteller? Do you consider yourself... Read More
Every writer expends a great deal of creative energy developing... Read More
I started writing as a way of keeping safe memories... Read More
You may wonder why I have chosen this title of... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
Technology vendors often contribute bylined articles to trade journals. The... Read More
How many times have you forced yourself to sit in... Read More
Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact,... Read More
Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation,... Read More
It's important to have a space set aside in your... Read More
Almost everyone could profit from enhancing their writing skills. From... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More
Write Right - You have an all important business letter... Read More
Writing can be more difficult that just compiling your thoughts... Read More
All writers should use a plan whether written or reflected.... Read More
Imagine a three hundred page book was in the author's... Read More
What a lack of research could do to you.When creating... Read More
Everyone has a unique story to tell. From explaining business... Read More
Your computer is a writing machine, a word processor, a... Read More
Becoming an author is probably a lot easier than you... Read More
In the 7th grade I wanted to be an architect... Read More
You're writing a story set in your local city, but... Read More
When my first book "Starting Your Own Business" was published... Read More
Ah, writing. For those of us who love to play... Read More
Take out a white piece of paper and place it... Read More
Prolific authors write; they don't just dream about it. A... Read More
So many clients come to me as a book or... Read More
FERRETING OUT WORK You keep hearing that there's work out... Read More
People want information, they want it quick, frequently in short... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?We all tackle plotting differently. How you... Read More
A poet isn't born; you must work at crafting your... Read More
There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More
Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in... Read More
And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More
Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock... Read More
A few months ago, I wrote a guide entitled: 101... Read More
Beginning writers often tend to think of a book as... Read More
Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling... Read More
Choosing the wrong words can have a poor effect on... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?I have said above that if a... Read More
Les Edgerton writes in his book, Finding Your Voice, that... Read More
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