National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) starts November 1. The basic idea is to engage in BIC (Butt In Chair) and write fiction. The goal is to finish 50,000 words by midnight on November 30. By successfully completing 50,000 words by the deadline, you win, (you get a badge!), and have a draft of a novel. … Read more
By C.S. Paquin Success as a freelance writer has come from the dishwasher— no, not via a lucrative commercial-copy gig bubbling with the attributes of a kitchen appliance, but from the old dishwasher installed in our new apartment. The state of my kitchen defines my professional success and pre-dishwasher, chaos reigned! Last night’s dishes piled … Read more
Guest post by Francesca Nicasio When I first started out, there were some things that I tried to avoid as much as possible because they were uncomfortable scared the crap out of me. It didn’t take long though before I realized that my avoidance was getting me nowhere and if I really wanted to succeed … Read more
By Martha Alderson Most writers have a preference for one style of writing over another. Some writers are more adept at developing complex, interesting, and quirky characters. Others excel at page-turning action. The lucky writers are good at creating both the character emotional development plotline and the dramatic action plotline. Become aware of your strength … Read more
By Ben Baker Writing the story is only part of the process. You have to get information first. If you interview enough people, sooner or later you will come across someone who replies to everything in monosyllables, grunts, and short sentences that give you the very barest minimum of facts. No matter how good your … Read more
By Apryl Duncan You stare at the blank page. The white of the page embeds itself in your brain, resulting in your mind going blank. Breaking out of the block doesn’t have to be a mind-boggling challenge, though. Explore the causes and the cure and you’ll be writing again in no time. Common Causes Unrealistic … Read more
Reading Between The Lines: An Interview with Kathie Fong Yoneda By Christina Hamlett What is Hollywood looking for? Ms. Kathie Fong Yoneda has seen it all in 25+ years of story analysis and development at Paramount, MGM, Columbia, Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Filmways, Inc. and Universal Pictures. An accomplished speaker, author, and international teacher, she … Read more
By Genevieve Fosa I was surprised to find out how many otherwise well-educated people are confused over the meaning and use of active and passive voices. In a nutshell, with active voice, the subject does whatever it is, and with passive voice, whatever it is is done to the subject by an amorphous other. Editors … Read more
Guest Post by Benjamin LeRoy I’ve been a steady lurker on the Absolute Write forums since 2005. Every now and again I jump into a thread if I feel like there’s something I can contribute. Most of the time, though my impulse is to get involved when a new publishing company gets called to the … Read more
By Marilyn Henderson You have finished your novel and are attending a writers’ conference hoping to get an agent or editor to read your manuscript. You work your way through the crowd with your gaze focused at name-tag level. Suddenly you spot a gold-bordered tag reserved for editors. Heart pounding, you approach and introduce yourself … Read more
