The Workshop You’ve Been Waiting For… the Workshop You Can’t Afford to Miss

A Personal Invitation to the Ultimate Novel Intensive Workshop—a writing event that will change your life!   Learning to write a story, specifically a novel, is a lot like life. There is all manner of theory, approach and professed truth out there for the taking, with more than a few loud evangelists for each and […]

Beware the Under-Cooked Story Concept

“I see this a lot.” I’m a little wary of opening with that, but I have to confess, it’s the first thing that keeps popping into my head when I want to address – again – the recurring and story-killing issue of writers using an undercooked “concept” as their opening point of reference for their […]

Part 2: A Deeper Understanding of Craft

Last post I opened a can of worms that a few of you found… confusing.  Even discouraging.  And some of you, thankfully, found to be liberating and empowering. I promised a follow-up, but did so without taking into consideration that confusion might ensue.  So today’s post is sort of a dance between clarification and continuation […]

A Deeper, Richer Understanding of Craft

I used to think that the title of this post describes what we are all out to achieve as writers.  That this is, in fact, a description of the writing journey as well as the destination.  Not so sure anymore.  I’m certain that it can be – and I suspect that it should be – […]

Know what “No” Really Means

“Nobody knows anything.” – William Goldman, Oscar-winning screenwriter and novelist   You are a writer.  Which means you will hear the word “no.”  Frequently.  Cruelly.  Usually without explanation.  Often without reason. They will tell you no.  And it will suck. You may not hear anything at all.  When that happens… it means no. You are […]

Reprise: What Are My Odds of Getting Published?

Before we get into that… I’d like to invite you all to visit “Conquer All Obstacles,” a wonderful website created by a writer’s writer and promotions expert, Jo-Anne Vandermeulen.  She was gracious enough to allow me to guest blog on her site yesterday (Thursday, July 2) and I hope you’ll visit and see what this […]

Great Characters Go Faster Deeper Harder

This from a guy whose first book had a tied-up woman on the cover. I should know, right?  (See my books page if you’re curious… and I bet you are.) Actually, that cover — not my idea — has caused me as many headaches as it has book sales. But that’s another blog. Most of […]

Why Elance Sucks Lately

I used to love Elance.  I want to love them again.  Don’t know if it’s the economy or if somebody’s asleep at the wheel over there.  I’ve made over fifty grand on Elance in the last two years, writing all kinds of stuff for clients around the world, and while it was always bluecollar writing […]

Show me the money: how to get paid for your writing… beginning today!

Nearly everyone who writes has one thing in common: we do it because we love it. But one of the dark little secrets of the avocation is that the more you do it for money, the less you do it for love. Writing becomes work, and while it’s perfectly normal to love your work, it’s […]

Writing the Best Book You Can Write

© 2007, The Oregonian Once you write the best book you can write – and that’s the point of all these workshops – what happens to it is almost completely out of your control. Here’s the deal. Let’s resort to analogy to make this perfectly clear. Writing fiction is like any other avocation that can […]