My new book, Writing for Publication (Book 1) will be available via Kindle and Kindle apps by the end of this week! I'm excited to have made this much progress since we're in the process of moving. Here's an excerpt from the book, a teaser: There are specific keys to overcoming the inevitable failure of being a writer. These few ideas can have a huge impact on your writing, and on your success as a writer.           Appreciate your own talent. If you know you are a good writer and you have something valid to say, appreciate that in yourself. Self appreciation comes across to others as confidence. Appreciating and having confidence in your talent is not boastful or prideful, it’s honest and real.          Don’t let rejection slow you down. Realize and accept that rejection is part of the job of writing for publication. If you accept this, it will not surprise you when it happens. It’s a given, par for the course. It truly...

Tip for the day for writers:   Stop using "that" as much as you possibly can.  I like to remind myself by saying, "That sounds flat." Here are a few samples which illustrate my point: Actually, this sentence is a perfect example. I could have said, "Here are a few samples that illustrate my point."  By choosing "which" instead of "that," the sentence flows better, sound more intelligent and helps the reader focus on the subject at hand, all which are benefits to any writer. Anything you do to ease the reading of your work will benefit you, as the writer, the most. Consider these examples: Change "I will vote for the candidate that most closely shares my view." to "I will vote for the candidate who most closely shares my view." Using "who" instead of "that" in this instance gives credibility to the writer's understanding of a candidate being a person and n...

The title of this blog is not a joke nor a flippant statement on my part. Being real is ever so important to one's work as a writer - and really to one's credibility whether they are a writer or not. Being real, not exaggerating oneself and presenting oneself as honest to the core is everything in the writing world. Absolutely everything. It's also everything in the world of education. I've been doing some editing for a man lately.  This man has a legitimate Ph.D, which he rightly earned. (Not all who claim to have a Ph.D have it legitimately. Many colleges, even local community colleges, reject claims of such a higher degree if they are not legitimate. More on this in a minute.) This man I'm editing for is a good writer, has a great handle on the English language and has some vital things to say. The problem is, he misrepresents his Ph.D by putting "Dr." in front of his name. While this may seem acceptable, the reason it is not is simple: the title ...

Happy 2013!!  What a great year this promises to be! Starting a new year, or even a new day is like waking up to a clean slate, or in my case as a writer, to a new word document!  Either way, opportunity abounds each and every day. One sure way to take advantage of those opportunities is to set goals. Setting a goal or a number of goals gives focus, validity, and clarity to your writing. Being the creative type, I sometimes find goal setting confining. To combat that, I keep my eyes on my end result, asking myself what I want to accomplish and how it can be accomplished. I have found that even non-specific goals, such as a goal to be more consistent, can carry great influence. It's easy to take a non-specific goal and make it more specific with a plan.  Even if you're a free-lance writer who does not earn your entire income from writing, you should have a plan, a business plan, for your writing. GOAL - PLAN - ACTION Your next step, after setting a goal and making...

I joined a few discussion boards on LinkedIn this past year and have thoroughly enjoyed the feedback and input of all who have contributed. On one such board, there is an ongoing discussion about whether a writer's group is profitable if all the members are unpublished. This discussion led to the impact of poor writing. Below is my current entry in that particular discussion. If you have never joined or participated in a writer's discussion group, do it today.  It's true enough that a story can be a good one even if poorly told. The trouble is, however, that no one will ever know how good the story is if they don't read it, and as a rule, readers don't read bad writing. Readers typically take the path of least resistance and do not read poor writing because it takes too much effort. The exception to this might be required reading for school, a job, or something else along those lines. The vast majority of readers read for pleasure; they do not want to work at read...

Writers are simply people with something to say. Do you have something to say? Learn to say it well and you will see success. While some people have more talent than others, good writing does not just magically happen. If that were the case, we would never need editors. Good writing is a skill which can be learned by anyone with something to say. A few tips for "good writing" include: *Pay attention to grammar. It matters *Pay attention to punctuation. It matters. *Never write sarcasm. It comes across ugly and makes you look small. Sarcasm does not work for the written word unless it's used to develop a character. *Less is enough. There is no need to embellish your writing. What you have to say is enough, so keep it simple and direct. *Be real. Readers recognize a fraud instantly, so it's vitally important to keep your writing real and honest. If your writings are fraudulent, or any part of your self-presentation is fraudulent, readers simply won't com...

No doubt, indie writers like myself - and perhaps you - learn as we go. This morning I read this article which walks through the writing/publishing process of one indie writer and describes her struggles along the way. The article,  The Woes, Fears and Promises of an Expectant Writer is full of insights and the decisions the author has faces, and still does face, as she seeks to get her writing published. We can all learn from reading this article; she has a lot of good information in there. One thing I admire about this author, Nancy LaRonda Johnson, is that, after due consideration, she opted out of vanity publishing. As tempting as it is, she saw through it and went with self-publishing. Another thing I admire is the fact that she is writing and publishing continually, including articles. It's important to keep ourselves out there, visible, with more to share than a book or two. Even prominent authors whose works sell well have taken to blogging. They know to keep writing an...