“Top Ten Tuesdays” — Please Welcome Judy Dunn of CatsEyeWriter.com

Welcome to our new feature, Top Ten Tuesdays, a series of guest blogs by winners of the “Top Ten Blogs for Writers” contest hosted at Writetodone.com Your Blog as Stage: Building a Believable Author Brand By Judy Dunn of CatsEyeWriter When I teach blogging workshops to aspiring authors, eyes always glaze over when I get to the […]

Day Zero: The Morning Your Book Hits the Street

Allow me to be completely honest and transparent here.  I’ve been looking for a way to notify my 4000 or so Storyfix friends when my new book, “Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing” finally launches. So let me go straight at this: It’s out. Actually, the fabled “publication date” is a […]

“Top Ten Tuesdays” — Please Welcome Ollin Morales

Ollin runs {Courage2Create}, one of the best writing blogs I’ve come across.  Maybe that opinion is an affinity thing, because he writes (like me) with passion and encouragement and (perhaps unlike me) unflagging positive energy.  I encourage you to visit his site and get pumped for the writing life. Why “Idea Scarcity” is A Big […]

The Writing World According to American Idol

I tend to view the world through the lens of a writer.  Which means I’m constantly assigning meaning to things while scanning for hooks and nuances and story opportunities. What some people mistake as a dumb blank stare and others as stand-offishness is really me trying to read between the lines. I view the writing […]

“Top Ten Tuesdays” — Please Welcome Top Ten Writing Blogger K.M Weiland

The 3 Integral Components of a Story’s Beginning A guest post by K.M. Weiland of Wordplay Beginnings are tough for a number of reasons, not least among them the fact that we’re wading blind into unknown territory, trembling with the knowledge that if we fail to be brilliant, readers won’t get past the first chapter. […]

Should You Self Publish? One Writer’s Take

By Guest Blogger Mary Andonian It’s been quite the journey.  My teen book, Bitsy’s Labyrinth, has just come out in both paperback and e-book after it spent nearly three years with a reputable agent, endured two revisions, garnered one movie deal, and now has finally seen the light of day at your favorite .com outlet.  […]

A Self-Publishing Reality Check

I’ll try to keep this short.  I have only one very simple point to make here today.  And it’s not pretty. But it is important.  Every movement of mass hysteria has a voice of reason and moderation, and this is it. This is about getting real with your dream of being published.  Because – newsflash […]

A Laugh and a Lil’ Favor For a Friend

(“Use your blog for good, grasshopper, not evil.”) I don’t often do this, but here goes. A friend of mine — who is, by the way, a writer, and one who does stand up comedy — is in a comedy competition in L.A. He’s a USC student (like my son), and he’s hilarious and talented. […]

“Top Ten Tuesdays” — A guest post from Joanna Penn

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesdays, a series of guest blogs by winners of the “Top Ten Blogs for Writers” contest hosted at Writetodone.com.  Why You Should Consider Independent Publishing A guest post from Joanna Penn from TheCreativePenn.com: Adventures in Writing, Publishing and Book Marketing Let’s get this straight up front. I would love a book […]

Click and Read About My Three Favorite Writing Tips

This morning I have a guest post over at Routines for Writers called “My Three Favorite Writing Tips of All Time.”  Click HERE to go there. The site belongs to Stephanie Shackelford, who in addition to offering killer posts on the writing life, has a monthly “author crush” feature (blush).  Check out her archives for […]