Great advice
by Daniella Levy
There it is.
That feedback you’ve been so terrified to receive. The one that makes all your self-doubt demons shriek: “YOU SEE?! WE TOLD YOU SO!!!”
You know which one I’m talking about.
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I'm reading Lydia Davis’ short story collection. She certainly plays with form, something I can relate to because my stories tend to jump in time and space from one paragraph to the next. Which proved to be a problem because I couldn’t sell it to popular magazines. She is highly experimental. One story is just … Continue reading Reading Lydia Davis
The authors and texts that have influenced my development as a writer the most are Leo Tolstoy, Lydia Davis, Philip Stevick, Flannery O’Connor, Maxine Chernoff, and the two stories Boys by Rick Moody and Girl by Jamaica Kinkaid. Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, one of the first books I read, set me on a journey into the … Continue reading Growing as a writer
My book is currently free on Smashwords. Click here to get a copy. Hi, I haven't disappeared or anything but I've been busy. In January I started working on a PhD at the University of the Western Cape. It's the hardest thing I've ever done. At last I have progressed enough to have an overview of … Continue reading Free on Smashwords
by Andrea Lundgren
I’ve been thinking about how we humans clean things up. Sometimes, we do it begrudgingly, sometimes compulsively. How we feel (and how close we are to a deadline) usually determines whether our efforts are frantic or methodical. When rushed or pressured, we can get rid of stuff we really should’ve kept, and I think this applies to editing, too.
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by Lauren Sapala
I don’t know if it’s that time of year or what, but I’ve been getting a lot of emails from writers lately about finishing things. This is also a topic that comes up frequently in my coaching sessions with writers. Lots and lots of writers out there are terrified that they will never be successful—or even halfway decent—because they have a lot of trouble finishing things.
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I started working on a PhD this year and it has been a revelation. My observation thus far is: a PhD makes you realize that you don’t know what you’re doing. It makes you realize that you are not as clever as you thought you were. So the new humble me is ferreting out information … Continue reading New me
by ARHuelsenbeck
Have you ever found yourself stranded in Creative Badlands? You know, that parched place where you are just so dry that nothing trickles from your pen? Or what you write is so uninspired that it puts you to sleep?
Sometimes it helps to get away. A writers’ retreat could be just the boost you needed to refresh your writing.
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The Alliance of Independent Authors ALLi has a Code of Standards for both Partner and Author Members. They also run a Watchdog Desk, headed by John Doppler and Philip Lynch, which produces an annually updated guidebook to the best author services, ALLi best practices and the best self-publishing routes. By displaying an ALLi membership badge on your website, you are reassuring readers and … Continue reading Make it happen
Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding” Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 4 Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 4 Production Quality and Cover Design: 5 Plot and Story Appeal: 4 Character Appeal and Development: 4 Voice and Writing Style: 4 Judge’s Commentary*: I enjoyed the insight you gave into the … Continue reading Judge, 25th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Cornelia Smith Fick 