By Magdalena Ball Even highly celebrated and well-paid authors miss them. While almost all writers are clear on the importance of plot, there are other writing skills such as a strong narrative voice, good deep characterization, and relevant, subtle scenery description that set a work of fiction apart, rendering it literary or great. In my … Read more
Guest Post by Maria Zannini There are two things all writers must possess. Nerves of steel and thick skin. Having been an artist most of my adult life, thick skin is a job requirement, but now, gentle reader, I have proof positive that I also have nerves of steel. Twenty miles from where I live … Read more
By Magdalena Ball It couldn’t have happened at a worse moment. My car had just been hit by a truck and I was standing amidst the wreckage of glass and metal when my post lady pulled up. After ascertaining that I wasn’t hurt, she handed me a package: the obviously thick SASE that went along … Read more
If you’ve ever wondered about the behind-the-scenes workings at Absolute Write and the Absolute Write forums, Jan O’Hara over at Writer Unboxed has just posted a two-part interview with me about Absolute Write, the community, the mods, and writing. Jan does a heckuva fun interview, and I’m not just saying that because she interviewed me—she’s … Read more
Interview with Eugie Foster Interview by Amy Brozio-Andrews This is an interview from several years ago. Eugie K. Foster was an award-winning writer of short fiction and children’s books. Eugie Foster, author, editor, wife, died on September 27th 2014 of respiratory failure from cancer at Emory University in Atlanta. In her forty-two years, Eugie lived … Read more
Reviewed by Amy Brozio-Andrews In her new book An Agent’s Point of View, Sheri Williams shares her insight and advice with writers who are either looking for an agent, or seeking a positive working relationship with their agent. In a short 73 pages, Williams gives tips and examples on writing queries and book proposals. She … Read more
Always feel like you miss out on the cool kidlit writing conferences, because you have a job and a family and a budget? WriteOnCon.com is hosting a free, online event designed with you in mind, Tuesday – Thursday, August 10 – 12, 2010. “WriteOnCon is an Online Children’s Writers Conference (rated MC-18, for Main Characters … Read more
Congratulations to AbsoluteWrite members Stacia Kane and K.A. Stewart on today’s release of their respective books! I’ve been waiting for the release of both of these books with great anticipation, for what seems like months. Stacia Kane‘s new book Unholy Magic is book 2 of the Downside Ghosts series. You can read an excerpt on … Read more
By Monique van den Berg “I am an artist. The critic is my nemesis.” Have you ever heard this internal dialogue? Well, you’re not alone. We writers exist within a paradox. Our egos tell us we’re brilliant, yet one word from a critic can convince us (at least temporarily) that we’re worthless. Criticism strikes at … Read more
Five rules for Writing Life Story by Jo Parfitt I have written 26 books, worked as a features journalist, written columns, a blog, memoir, fiction and non-fiction and I cannot think of many writing genres where there is no need to write life story. If you write a self-help book, for example, such as a … Read more
