Too Many Cooks? It’s Not Just About the Cowboy Beans. . .
~ By Jeff Salter Note: read this true experience (from 6-26-2016) and then tell us what you would write for the very next line. He: “I’m thinking about making some cowboy beans this evening for supper. You okay with my beans?” She: “Sounds lovely.” – – – Later that evening – – – He is browning […]
So…my weekend, or The Benefit of taking a Master class
~ By Peggy Jaeger There really should be something done about lousy internet in hotels and conferences! I was at a fabulous conference this weekend and couldn’t blog about it because it took FOREVER to get connected to WiFi. Oh well…better late than never. Friday night I took a master class with marketing guru Jane Friedman. It quite literally changed […]
Creativity Through Divorce
~ By Casey Clipper I’m getting a divorce. There, I said it. Out loud. Admission is half the key, right? Yeah, right, if only. I’ve contacted a tulsa divorce attorney and I’m getting a divorce from my partner. This is a secret I’ve held close to the chest for quite some time now, only recently […]
Seven Rules for Powerful Sentences
~ By Lyn Cote (First published in “Writer’s Forum,” a publication for students, faculty, and friends of Writer’s Digest School, Fall 1998 as “Dramatic Sentences in Seven Steps.”) When I completed my first manuscript, I thought a national day of celebration should be proclaimed. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered contest judges, agents, and editors […]
Readers, Writers and Protagonists Setting Healthy Boundaries
Warning: This post makes references to violence and sexual assault. If you’d rather skip this post, we completely understand. Note: Much of what I share in this post I’ve learned from taking empowerment self-defense and martial arts classes at an organization called El HaLev. Learn more by reading or watching “Beauty Bites Beast” by Ellen Snortland. […]
From Romantic Romance to Ordered Disorder
~ Miriam Drori Want to know how to approach writing non-fiction when you’re most used to romantic stories? Don’t ask me; I didn’t do it. You didn’t? No. But you’ve published that lovely romance that’s set in a really exotic place called… Jerusalem. You’re right. My romance, Neither Here Nor There was published in 2014 […]
#RWA17: Is this ADULTING?
~ By Peggy Jaeger Something new at RWA this year was the adult coloring wall. Yeah…I know. This phase of adults reverting back to their younger years and doing things they did as children was originated as a means of connecting with your inner child to relieve the stress of being a, well, a grown-up. I’ve […]
How to Use Your Travels to Make Your Story Sparkle
~ By Rachel Magee Vacations. We all love them. Just the sound of the word can bring stress relief. We plan, research, save for and dream about them all year long. And when the time gets near, we go shopping, buy new outfits and struggle to cram them all into our over-stuffed suitcases. No? Just […]
Contest Entries, Part 2: Understanding POV
~ By Laura Trentham This is Part 2 of my observations from judging lots of RWA contests for unpublished manuscripts. I really love judging, not only to give back to a process that gave me my start in publishing, but by critiquing someone else’s writing, I discover weakness in my own. Part 1 focused on […]
On Writing a Series – When is the End?
~ By Nan Reinhardt Are you writing or have ever written a series? I just finished Saving Sarah, Book 4 in my Women of Willow Bay series. I’m wondering about how you know it’s time to end a series. Series are a huge thing in romance right now—publishers are looking for them and indies are […]
Contest Entries, Part 1
~ By Laura Trentham I really love judging RWA chapter contests for unpublished writers (both contemporary and historical manuscripts), mainly because I got so much out of the contests when I was pre-published, including my agent! I credit contest feedback for teaching me to write. That sounds hyperbolic, but it really isn’t. My degree is […]
RWA Responsibilities
~ By Peggy Jaeger A few weeks ago, I blogged about what to do if you’re attending the Annual RWA conference for the very first time. Being a first-time attendee can be daunting and overwhelming. So many fabulous courses to choose from; the amazing publishing spotlights; the free books, oh Lord, the free books. That […]
