The other night in my Writer's Group meeting, one writer asked about a particular publishing house. I told him that it's a vanity press and they are best avoided.  A vanity press is a press which will print whatever you like, as long as you pay for it.  A vanity press does not market, edit or see to your best interest as a writer. I know a good number of people who have used a vanity press and it's been an uphill battle for them to have any success as a result.. The reasons are numerous, but the bottom line is, in the publishing world, using a vanity press is akin to getting your degree from a for-profit university.  Once you do that, no one in the education world will take you seriously, your "credentials" will not be listed and you might find it hard to get, or keep, a viable position. Likewise, once you use a vanity press, you will find that viable publishers don't take you seriously. Curiously, neither print on demand nor e-publishing fall into this...

This is a guest post of sorts.  The author of this article , 20 Redundant Phrases to Eliminate from Your Writing , has no idea I'm posting their article, but I found it so relevant and helpful I thought it deserved a spot in my blog.  Thank you Mickie Kennedy for this timely and well-written piece. Read and learn, writers. Redundancy can end today! ~Tricia

How do you organize your writing projects? I like to think of myself as organized, but to someone looking in, I would not appear very organized  at all.  Life is busy. Organization takes work.  I get lazy.  Stuff piles up.  You get the picture.  But, right now, I have a big writing project in the works and I'm actively working to get this project organized to help it go more smoothly, and to help it be successful.  I'm in the process of creating different computer files, organized into one folder with the project title as the folder name. As I look to the future and writing full-time, I'm experimenting with different systems to find which works best for me.  For now, I'm excited about the new folder/file system and am determined to stay as organized as I start out being. I may combine several systems into one new system. This is not my normal method, so I'm really excited about the challenge this presents.  Normally, I think about a writi...

We are on vacation in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We've been here almost two weeks and have a few more days to go.  I won't post long today, but wanted to share a few thoughts about writing and vacationing. I write on vacation.  Do you?  I might not produce an entire story or article, but I do write.  Mostly notes, journal entries, ideas and outlines for future projects.  I also read a lot.  So far this vacation, I've read three books and previewed another. Embrace your summer vacation!   Read. Write.  Learn. And have FUN! The picture at the left is my son, Marty, water skiing on Manistique Lake. ~Tricia

Writers, are you reading this summer? Reading is a "must do" for any writer, experienced or aspiring.  Reading expands your thinking, expands your vocabulary, exposes you to new ideas and styles of writing and helps your own writing improve by all these means.  One of the points in the writing class I teach is "Read to Write." Summer is a great time to do some serious reading, at least in my life.  Actually, so if fall, winter and spring for that matter!  So far this summer, I have read: The Devil in Pew Number Seven  by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo with Bob DeMoss       I couldn't put this book down!  It was a fantastic story of how far some people have the potential to go when controlled by their ego. Memiors of a Holocaust Survivor, Icek Kuperberg   by Icek Kuperberg      I read Holocaust survivor books annually, several times throughout the year, actually.  While some parts are very hard to read because I can't ...

I love a blank piece of paper.  I love a blank computer screen.  The blankness is enticing to me because it's a clean slate, representing a new beginning each and every time I sit down to write.  For me, it goes something like this: 1. As I go about my day, I'm constantly thinking. 2. This thinking leads to ideas. 3. These ideas lead to my desire to voice them. 4. My desire to voice them leads me to my paper or computer. 5. The paper or computer screen are blank......which is, to me, an invitation to write. 6. An invitation to write brings on an avalanche of writing, much of which I never even print or publish! Thus, you can see why a blank paper or computer screen is so enticing to me.  My days are busy with my large family and that means there are days when finding time to write is challenging. What about you? Does a blank paper or screen excite or intimidate you?  Do you feel overwhelmed by it or eager to get started? Think about your writing sty...

I just finished one of the most fascinating books I've ever read.  It was on the "new book" shelf at my local library and I was intrigued by the title, Letters from Leaders .   Letters from Leader s is a compilation of letters the author, Henry O. Dormann, Chairman and Editor in Chief, LEADERS Magazine, requested from world leaders in politics, religion, business and philanthropy. Some of the letters, themselves, were hand-written by the people approached, on their company letterhead.  These letterheads were folded within the pages of the book, included with the print. As I read this book, I could not help but see a strong pattern emerge.  I want to share my observations of this pattern, in hopes that you, as a writer, can sense what would make your pursuits in writing more successful. My observations of the overriding keys to success from the leaders in this book: 1. Integrity 2. Ethics 3. Dreams 4. Respect for others - ALL others 5. Everyone needs lead...