Like most bloggers in the universe, most of my posts don’t get many real comments. The average post seems to get one or two comments from humans (along with hundreds of spam comments). Maybe one in a dozen posts receives a handful of thoughtful responses. On a rare occasion, I’ll write something that resonates enough … Continue reading The complete guide to handling comments on your blog
Everyone knows the best way to start a novel or a story is with a killer opening line. You need something that hooks the reader and immediately sets whatever mood you’re trying to set. It should be your best sentence. In fact, what follows doesn’t really matter that much because you’ve done such a good … Continue reading How to write a great opening line that will make your readers salivate
If you’re a writer, you either know rejection really well or you’ve never sent out your work. And if you’ve never sent out your work, then you’re not really a writer yet. In my opinion, you become a writer the first time you’re rejected. Rejection shapes who you are as a writer and is the … Continue reading Do these 10 things every time you submit your writing and you’ll never be rejected again!
Submitting to a writing contest can be a great opportunity. With prizes often in the thousands plus publication, there’s the chance for big money and big exposure. Of course, the odds aren’t in your favor. Any writing contest with a big prize purse is getting hundreds, if not thousands of submissions. If you want to … Continue reading Everything You Need to Know Before Entering a Writing Contest
As we move into a new year, you’re probably honing in on some writing resolutions. But let’s do things a bit differently this year. Forget the stupid cliche shit like “I’m going to write every day” and “I’m going to finish and publish my novel.” Instead, let’s focus on things that will improve the literary … Continue reading 10 Writing Resolutions Actually Worth Keeping
It’s possibly the oldest piece of writerly advice: write every day. If you want to be a great writer, you need to write every day, right? Just like if you want to be good at anything, you need to do it every day. Except for when you don’t. Let’s explore the positives and negatives of … Continue reading Should You Write Every Day? Here’s What the Best Writers Do.
If you’re anything like me—and every other writer in the world—you’ve written your fair share of garbage. Stuff that makes you cringe. Stuff that no reputable or even halfway-reputable publication would even think about publishing. So let’s talk about what you’re supposed to do with all that junk. Wait, before we do that, let’s talk … Continue reading What to Do with All Your Bad Writing
Every story I’ve ever written has had at least one great sentence (that is to say all my stories have at least one sentence I think is just fabulous). Even my worst stories contain at least one nugget of infinite wisdom that makes me say, “Damn, this is brilliant! I’m a literary god.” But a … Continue reading Kill Your Darlings Meaning – What It Is And Why You Should Do It
Authors have a lot on their plates. They have to be writers, editors, and promotional machines. Let’s add one more thing to the author toolbox: SEO. Before we get too far into things, let’s make it clear what this article is and what it isn’t. It’s meant to be a basic guide to search engine … Continue reading SEO Basics for Authors Who Don’t Want to Learn SEO
I haven’t written much lately, at least not personally. Most of my day is spent writing in an office which may explain, at least in part, why I’ve forsaken my fiction and personal blog writing so much as of late. I can easily fall back on the "I'm tired of writing" or "I don't have … Continue reading How to Write: A Seven-Step How-To Guide for Writers Who Don’t Feel Like Writing
