You remember the catch phrase of Pythagoras, don’t you? You know, the 6th century BC Greek philosopher? Of course you remember. He’s known for saying, “Every triangle is a love triangle when you love triangles.” No, wait. This bit of wisdom comes by way of comedian James Acaster in his Netflix special Repertoire. Acaster’s faux […]
Teasers have been on my mind and my desk for a few weeks now. So have blurbs. They are both promotional tools for selling books. Perhaps the best promotional tools for selling books. They’re the triggers that entice potential readers to click and buy. I’ll define a teaser as a one- or two-line hook for […]
Blurb writing is difficult. But once you know the five steps, you have a chance at crafting something effective. See Writing Blurbs I: Five (Not So Easy) Steps. I’m using my just-released The Hard Bargain as a before-and-after example. Blurb Writing: Before Here’s what I wrote before attending Kristin Wallace‘s blurb writing workshop last month: […]
Raise your hand if you’re a novelist and you don’t like writing blurbs. Okay, that’s pretty much everyone. Most of us would say we prefer writing the 80,000-word novel to writing the 200-word blurb. (I know I’ve said as much.) Whether you are traditionally published or an indie author, you already know blurbs are the […]
To open my discussion of writing trends, I’ll quote the Beach Boys “Catch a Wave” from 1963: “Catch a wave / And you’re sittin’ on the top of the world.” Lucky you, if you swim out into the oceanic literary marketplace and sense a big wave coming afar off. All you have to do then […]
This & That: Basic Grammar One. Any grammar book will tell you this & that are demonstrative adjectives. ‘This’ indicates objects that are proximate, that is, ones near by. ‘That’ indicates objects that are removed, that is, ones far away. Two. ‘This’ can also introduce a topic. Example: “There’s this guy. He always comes five […]
Many writers dream of a lifelong writing life. The key words here are dream and lifelong. First, let me dispel any notion of dreaminess: the most successful authors will tell you its hard, wide-awake work. Second, lifelong can be your reality. My suggestions for sustaining a writing career over a lifetime are simple. And as […]
Realistic deadlines. First, what’s a deadline? A deadline is akin to a baby’s due date. It’s a commitment to make manifest in the world the vision in your head. Second, do realistic ones exist? Yes, as long as you know a lot about yourself as a creative writer. My take: One: Deadlines are good. I’m […]
As a pantser (meaning: I write by the seat of my pants), I like to discover my characters as I write. I love to get them up and running and interacting. Hearing their thoughts, listening to their dialogues. That’s great … for a first draft. However, the revision process requires a step back from the […]
This blog on writing voice starts with a list. Adele, Nora Jones, Frank Sinatra, Maria Callas, Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston, Shakira, Bob Dylan, Cristina Aguilera, Sean Combs…. The list could go on endlessly. Elvis, Usher, Sarah Mclachlan, Lil Nas X. They open their mouths to sing, and you immediately recognize their voices. A […]