As I prepare to re-publish #WheelerNovel, here are some things I wish I knew a year ago when I first succumbed to the siren-song of the self-publish button. Be certain. Be absolutely certain that what you’ve written is not just good enough, make sure it’s great. Shooting yourself in the foot, repeatedly, weighs heavy and causes huge amounts … Continue reading Things I Wish I Knew Before Self-Publishing
Things I Wish I Knew Before Self-Publishing
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Creative Writing vs Writing as Therapy
by Sara Kopeczky I had a rough childhood and adolescence (but hey, who hadn’t?), and often times found consolation in making up stories. I would write short, gothic stories with monsters and witches that helped me cope with my everyday issues. Later on, when I became more serious about my writing, I realized that … Continue reading Creative Writing vs Writing as Therapy
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KDP Offers Authors a New Sales Dashboard
by Mercy Pilkington at Good eReader There’s little doubt that Amazon has been the driving force behind the digital publishing revolution, including its impact on self-publishing. The once-daunting process of being an author meant navigating some treacherous waters on both the creative side and the business side of things. But with the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, … Continue reading KDP Offers Authors a New Sales Dashboard
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Book Quote Corner #74
“Our mother used to say that a hero doesn’t always have to slay a dragon to save the day.” She swept a lock of hair behind her ear in an honest gesture, then pursed her lips and looked back at him, her gaze endearing. “Sometimes he just walks through the fire alongside you, and … Continue reading Book Quote Corner #74
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Under the Microscope – A Raven’s Revenge
Welcome back to another post in the Under the Microscope series. It’s been a while. Some of you who have been following this website for years will remember these. How it works is that an author submits an excerpt from the beginning of one of their stories, with the understanding that I’ll publicly critique … Continue reading Under the Microscope – A Raven’s Revenge
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Four Lessons I Learned From Giving My Novel Away
by J.U. Scribe My free book promotion for Before the Legend is officially over as of this week. What was supposed to be a “Free Promo Week” turned more into a month long promo filled with free print giveaways, author interviews, guest spotlights, and of course free eBooks! It was encouraging seeing a significant jump in readers adding … Continue reading Four Lessons I Learned From Giving My Novel Away
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22 Ways to Impress a First-Time Blog Reader With Any Post
by Meg Dowell 1. Tell them something they don’t know. 2. Tell them something they DO know — make it relatable. 3. Help them solve a problem. 4. Help them help someone else. 5. Help them answer a question. 6. Tell them they’re doing something wrong — and how to correct it. 7. Show … Continue reading 22 Ways to Impress a First-Time Blog Reader With Any Post
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The Low-Down on Urban Fantasy
by Sheree Crawford Urban fantasy is very much the rising star of the Young Adult genre; Cassandra Clare, in particular, has made a name for herself in this genre. Of course, it’s not just for teenagers… you’ve probably read an urban fantasy novel already, without knowing it! Joanna Penn, herself an Urban Fantasy author, … Continue reading The Low-Down on Urban Fantasy
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Lessons in Storytelling From a Musical Theater Nerd
by Cristina Fernandez I am a huge musical theater nerd. It’s something that’s been a part of my life since I was two years old and Grease was my favorite movie. However only recently have I become aware of the part of me that is absolute trash when it comes to Broadway shows. Over … Continue reading Lessons in Storytelling From a Musical Theater Nerd
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The Personal Rejection: Backhanded Compliment of Publishing
by John Briggs There are two types of rejection letters – the dreaded form letter and the personal rejection letter. The former is just what it sounds like—the one that editors and agents send to dozens, if not hundreds of authors every year that says, with very little subtext, “Thanks, but no thanks.” The … Continue reading The Personal Rejection: Backhanded Compliment of Publishing
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The Goal is to Have Motivated Characters
by S. E. White Everyone has heard of the Plotters vs. Pantsers camps for authors. Plotters take their story and attack it with outlines, guidelines, plotlines, and beat sheets. Pansters take it in a more relaxed way, writing as the story flows with plenty of detours as needed. Most writers take elements from each side and … Continue reading The Goal is to Have Motivated Characters
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How to “Show, Don’t Tell”
by Chrys Cymri I’m still getting used to the life of a self-published author, particularly in this age of Amazon and customer reviews. Authors are advised that books need to have reviews, the more reviews the better, even those which are not entirely positive. In order to obtain those reviews, I’ve been involved in … Continue reading How to “Show, Don’t Tell”
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Book Quote Corner #75
“She’d never met an adult who claimed to know so little about so much.” ― The Beast Is an Animal, written by Peternelle van Arsdale
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Fun English Language Facts That All Writers Should Know
Image source by Laura Peters As a writer, it’s all too easy to get bogged down with the boring bits of the English language, such as grammar rules and sentence structure. But it’s also important to remember that there is also a fun side to language! If you do your research, you’ll find that … Continue reading Fun English Language Facts That All Writers Should Know
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Weird Ways to Make Money As a Writer
by Megan Okonsky I’ve got an exciting update: Andrew and I have planned our route! We’re doing a circle for about 5 1/2 weeks, hitting Bangkok, Koh Phagnan, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh, Dalat, Chiang Mai, and Pai. Phew! Having this part of the planning completed has revealed the reality of other … Continue reading Weird Ways to Make Money As a Writer
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The Rundown of Beta Reading
by Samantha Fenton Definition of a beta reader: A beta reader is a non-professional reader who reads a written work, generally fiction, with the intent of looking over the material to find and improve elements such as grammar and spelling, as well as suggestions to improve the story, its characters, or its setting. Beta … Continue reading The Rundown of Beta Reading
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Throwback Thursday: The Three Elements of a Memorable Fantasy Story
Throwback Thursday is a series where we take a look back at some of AWP’s most popular posts. Enjoy! by Andrea Lundgren People have been telling a form of fantasy stories for as long storytelling has existed. Even when the hearers or readers believed them, tales of the gods, of floods and warriors with superhuman powers … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: The Three Elements of a Memorable Fantasy Story
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Completing My First Draft: Three Things I’ve Learned
by Jennifer Kelland Perry Two weeks ago today, I had a fabulous evening. Late on that Friday afternoon, I typed the last word of the last sentence of the last chapter of my Work In Progress. It felt wonderful! What a sense of satisfaction filled me as I raised my glass of Cabernet and … Continue reading Completing My First Draft: Three Things I’ve Learned
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6 Ways to Make Writing Fight Scenes Less Traumatic
by Kathryn To answer the question I am assuming is on all of your minds, yes, everything is traumatic to my hyperbolic little mind. Especially fight scenes. There’s a lot to them, and that means that you run the risk of fumbling the execution, and that’s never fun. But don’t let the fear that you’re … Continue reading 6 Ways to Make Writing Fight Scenes Less Traumatic
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Why Characters Get Out of Hand and Understanding Them Better
by Destine Williams It’s only 8:20 AM and the battlefield is quiet. A lone tumbleweed rolls across the barren land just like a blockbuster western, but today you’re not here to stop and smell the cliches. Today you are here to fight. The only ones left in the resistance are you, your editor, … Continue reading Why Characters Get Out of Hand and Understanding Them Better
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