“Mere literary talent is common; what is rare is endurance, the continuing desire to work hard at writing.” – Donald Hall “By writing at the instant the very heartbeat of life is caught.” – Walt Whitman “But the ultimate lesson is just sit down and write. That’s all.” – Wole Soyinka “Beware of advice — evenContinue reading “5 Great Quotations for Aspiring Authors”
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Professional Book Editor in Sacramento
An affordable, professional editor for more than 25 years, I’ll deliver a thorough edit of your manuscript. I’m the author of several published books as well as short stories, hold a Master’s degree in English and a Bachelor’s in journalism, am a long-time writing teacher, and am an award-winning publications editor and writer. Well overContinue reading “Professional Book Editor in Sacramento”
Use Pacing to Maintain Sense of Tension in Story
As developing your story, maintaining a sense of tension is vital. Without dramatic tension – a feeling of uncertainty in the reader about how the main character will solve (or even if he will resolve) the central problem – the story will be flat and vanilla. Creating tension involves controlling the story’s pace. Pace is theContinue reading “Use Pacing to Maintain Sense of Tension in Story”
Five Great Quotations about Theme in Novels
“There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.” – Saul Bellow “If the weak hand, that has recorded this tale, has, by its scenes, beguiled the mourner of one hour of sorrow, or, by its moral, taught himContinue reading “Five Great Quotations about Theme in Novels”
Getting Started with Formatting Your Ebook
If you have a completed manuscript, you actually should to format two ebooks – one for Kindle Direct Publishing and one for Draft2Digital. This actually is less work than it sounds as you can format an ebook that will work for both Kindle and Draft2Digital. Why create an ebook for these two retailers? You’ll want toContinue reading “Getting Started with Formatting Your Ebook”
7 Minutes a Day to Promoting Your Book
With this book, you’ll develop a strategy that will get articles about your self-published book in newspapers, magazines, on radio and television programs, posted on blogs and linked to on websites, while landing you book signings and readings, all at virtually no cost. Simply set aside seven minutes a day – between classes, in theContinue reading “7 Minutes a Day to Promoting Your Book”
How to Avoid Copyright Infringement
Though you’ve finished writing your book, it still might not be ready for self-publication, if only for legal reasons. Legal reasons? “Don’t we live in nation with freedom of the press?” you ask. We do. Still, there are the legalities and liability of copyright infringement to consider. You don’t want to be sued for inadvertentlyContinue reading “How to Avoid Copyright Infringement”
Self-Awareness of Writing Process Aids Creativity
Many writers will tell you “there’s no system” to writing a book. They’re right in that the craft of writing can’t be reduced to an assembly line production, at least not unless you wish to churn out cookie-cutter stories and ultimately be incredibly dissatisfied with your passion. Still, given that writers tend to share severalContinue reading “Self-Awareness of Writing Process Aids Creativity”
Five Great Quotations About Editing
“No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft.” – H. G. Wells “Be generous, be delicate, and always pursue the prize.” – Henry James “Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.” – Anonymous “I always wrote with the idea that what I put out there is going to stayContinue reading “Five Great Quotations About Editing”
Finding Writer’s Holy Grail: ‘A Place to Write’
One of the obstacles facing beginning writers is finding a place where they actually can write. Too often our responsibilities and modern civilization’s many distractions don’t allow for a moment – or place – of peace and quiet in our lives. Yet, just such a place where we can put our fingers to keyboard or penContinue reading “Finding Writer’s Holy Grail: ‘A Place to Write’”