Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Fiction on Mar 21st, 2012
A bit of controversy exists about whether or not it’s beneficial for writers to enter their work in writing contests. Some feel that contests are a waste of time and money, contending that publishers aren’t impressed by a writer winning a contest. And they’re not very happy that most contests require an entry fee of [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips on Mar 8th, 2012
You probably do. Why? My mission as a copy editor is find the errors in your manuscript that you’ve overlooked—which happens if you’ve been staring at your words until your vision’s blurred, and your forehead hits the table in front of you. Or, maybe you didn’t overlook those errors. Maybe you made mistakes you didn’t [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips on Feb 9th, 2012
In my roles as a reader, writing instructor, and coach, it’s my job encourage writers. And there’s little I enjoy more. I want to see more writers writing, and more good work published. But those writers who’ve been fooling with Chapter One for two years, who can’t get the story down because the little time [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips on Dec 29th, 2011
I recently interviewed Leslie Fulton for a guest post about the conflicts between being both a business and a creative writer. Since she sent me a good deal of interesting information about her approach to writing, I said I’d like to share it here, as a guest post. You can read it below. – Lynette I [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips on Dec 28th, 2011
I recently interviewed writer Michele Chiappetta, The Chipper Muse, for a guest post I was writing for The WM Freelance Writers Connection. Some of her responses appear in the post, When Business and Creative Writing Clash. But Michele offered so many other useful insights on the tensions between being a business and a creative writer [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Memoir Writing on Nov 8th, 2011
I often use Lisa Dale Norton’s gem of a memoir-writing book in the memoir and life story writing classes I teach. Her small book, Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir (St. Martin’s Press), leads writers along the pivotal path to the heart of our personal stories. In her guest post below, Lisa [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Memoir Writing on Oct 28th, 2011
Jane Rowan is the author of The River of Forgetting: A Memoir of Healing from Sexual Abuse, which details her struggle to remember and rebound after realizing she had been abused as a child. Her guest post below describes what she learned about the differences between—and responsibilities of—writing for oneself and writing for an audience. – Lynette [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Polish and Publish on Oct 21st, 2011
Writers, like musicians, athletes, and even astronauts have to constantly strengthen their skills. For writers, attending classes is one good way to do that. But writing classes have their pros and cons. How do you assess which class is right for you? Tips for Choosing a Writing Class 1) The class should be challenging, but [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Memoir Writing, Social Media for Writers on Oct 17th, 2011
I’ve been actively following Alexis Grant’s blog and tweets for a couple of years, and I can tell you she’s one of the most knowledgeable, generous, and approachable writers and coaches around. In Part 1 of the following interview, Alexis lets me pick her brain about the expertise she’s developed in blogging and using social media. [...]
Posted in Creative Writing Tips, Memoir Writing, Social Media for Writers on Oct 17th, 2011
Alexis Grant built a strong following while writing her travel memoir, then went on to develop a social media business. In Part 2 of my interview with Alexis, she talks about the tools and resources she uses to enhance her productivity, and what she learned from writing her travel memoir. Alexis, aka The Traveling Writer, [...]
