This was supposed to be a blog post about story tropes I enjoy but, given the state of the universe, I don’t really feel like writing about that. I just want to talk about happy endings. If you have a pulse, you know that America is not in the best place right now. I’m not in a position to… Read more »
Blurbs should be short and to the point. Hence the name “blurb.” Blurbs are a summary of what a book is about. But who says that the blurb has to be long. I’ve seen too many authors’ blurbs that tell too much of what their book is about, reaching the status of being more of a full length novel… Read more »
Small Press Publishing: What to Expect Small presses can open doors for authors who may not otherwise find a home for their books. For anyone considering publication by a small press, here are a few things I’ve learned from working with Fire and Ice YA, the Minnesota-based press that published my young adult mystery, Trail of Secrets: * Expect to… Read more »
Every author that tackles a genre with outside-the-norm characters wants to make the best ‘bump-in-the-night’. Let’s note that I originally wrote that line, using only ‘horror’ and ‘fantasy’ as genre examples. But fortunately for readers and writers, so many of the stories that we bring into the light lately are almost impossible to categorize. Though it makes it difficult… Read more »
Getting Reviews for Self-Published Books A few decades ago, self-publishing was a drag. Aside from the strife that comes with financing your book, you also have to impress the publisher with your transcript. Think about it. There used to be a time when the only people who could read were the ones who went to school. Why? Well, let’s just… Read more »
I must admit up front that my sensibilities about adult content are very America. I’m far more comfortable with violence than I am with sex. That being said, I think there’s a place for both. It all depends on what you’re comfortable writing. For example, I get pumped when I’m about to write an action-packed battle or fight scene. I’ve… Read more »
I have been a screenwriter for around 12 years, an avid reader for 23 years, and a writer for various mediums for 16 years. After a while, you start to notice patterns in the material you come across. The most recent pattern I have noticed is in Teen Fantasy Books. I released my first fantasy novel, The Golden Sword, in… Read more »
When it comes to getting the scientific details right in fiction, the clichéd advice to “write what you know” is one of the best pieces of literary advice. Why? Because if your actual background is well-grounded in science and you can turn a proper phrase, your science-based novel is going to be a hundred times more authentic than even… Read more »
In 2015, 18-year-old blogger Gweneth Batemen conducted a personal experiment: when men on social media complimented her on her appearance she would acknowledge that what they said was true. The men would usually revoke the compliment as if Batemen’s confirmation somehow voided the fact that she was physically attractive. Whether she was polite or snarky to the people in question,… Read more »
One of my favorite tools of writing is subtext. I don’t know how widely known or used it really is because I didn’t learn about it until my junior year of college. Subtext is a thread that runs through a writer’s work that punctuates major points and/or usually underscores the whole purpose of the story. To put it in laymen… Read more »
All writers agree that reviews are important. The number of reviews independent books and stories receive on vendor websites impacts where those books are seen and advertised. The more reviews, the higher the rank and broader the profile. There are many, many reviewers and sites offering a chance to earn a review. And it can be tough to gain a… Read more »
Welcome All! For the first time, this HSSS is actually going to start with, She said… Quite often you hear the old adage that you should write what you know. If that were the truth, fiction genres like fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal romance and the like wouldn’t offer very many books to their audiences, now would they? But if you write… Read more »
How important is your cover art and book blurb? He Said: It’s critical! Your cover art and book blurb is what is going to attract your potential readers to buy and read your book. As such, they need to do several things Cover Art: Attract attention. You want your cover art to pull the readers eye to it. It should… Read more »
Although I’ve never personally emptied my bank account on self-publishing a book – not yet anyhow – I have to say that there has to be a line where expenses just can’t be cut: editing and/or proofreading. Sure, I know the cover is important, as are promotional activities and the like; however, if you spend your entire budget on those… Read more »
You’ve probably heard it from your writing buddies, seen it in how-to books, and read it in author interviews. It’s arguably the ultimate writing mantra, the number one way to improve your writing. What exactly am I talking about? The Show, Don’t Tell rule. High five to you if you guessed where I was headed! Show, Don’t Tell is one of the most popular expressions in any creative writing sphere, novel… Read more »