» A Guest Author

Adventures in Publishing: The Small Press Edition

by: Samantha Bryant I didn’t think it would get as bad as it did. In fact, at the outset, I imagined myself the heroine of a fairy tale, the newly crowned princess–or, rather, published author. But fairy tales are seldom as simple as they seem, and “happily ever after” is sometimes quite short lived. When…

Issue Three Hundred Sixty Six Special Feature

How the Coronavirus Turned My Puzzle Book Into an Amazon Bestseller

By Michael Wiesenberg Two years ago I assembled 105 Canadian-themed crossword puzzles that I published as an 8.5×11” soft cover book on Amazon’s self-publishing facility. The book did moderately well, until the coronavirus came along. A lot of people were finding themselves with a lot more time on their hands. In these times of self-isolating,…

Issue Three Hundred Sixty Four Special Feature

Implementing Objective Correlative

By Sherry Shahan I recently helped facilitate a writing workshop focusing on revision. Most of the participants had agents and were widely published. Yet brows furrowed when I mentioned the literary device Objective Correlative. Simply put, an objective correlative is an object in a story with a symbolic purpose. It can be an everyday item…

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5 Ways to Find Time to Write When You Work Full Time

By Brandie June Whenever I hear writers complaining that they can never find the time to write, I have to wonder how hard they are trying to find that precious time. And I get it. I wish I had all the time in the world and could sit in front of my computer all day…

Issue Three Hundred Sixty Three Special Feature

What I Learned Attempting the 100 Rejection Challenge

By Nicole Pyles The last couple of years have been an interesting writing journey for me. I transformed from being a writer who lamented over being unable to finish stories to finding joy in the revision process. To tell you the truth, I never thought about intentionally aiming for 100 rejections. It didn’t cross my…

Issue Three Hundred Sixty Special Feature

The Importance of Research: Post-Mortem Publishing Rights

By Ted Parrish As a writer for decades now, I have been recently confronted and perplexed with a legal issue worthy of extensive research. Not doing so could have resulted in a legal lawsuit for liability, which I prefer not to get into, so it was time well invested. This issue is post-mortem publishing rights….

Issue Three Hundred Fifty Nine Special Feature

Tips for Being a Writer During the Health Crisis

By Brandie June I won’t lie, the world is a bit of a scary place right now. Anytime I turn on the news or go to the store, I’m reminded that there is a big health crisis that we all have to deal with right now, and it means a lot of changes. Over just…

Issue Three Hundred Fifty Seven Special Feature

How to Get Review Quotes for Your Book

By Ben Graff When I had finished writing my first book, a more experienced author told me the hard work started now. She highlighted that all writers face a crowded marketplace. That no matter how beautiful the language or however moving the story, very few novels sell themselves. We all want our work to connect…

Issue Three Hundred Fifty Four Special Feature

How to Work with an Artist to Design Your Book’s Cover

By Ben Graff As writers, we strive to make every word we place on the page work perfectly. However, readers frequently make judgments and buying choices without reading any of what we have written. Our cover designs are often the gateway to our work, and it is all too easy to undermine a great book…

Issue Three Hundred Fifty Three Special Feature

How to Know When Your Work is Ready to Submit

By Adele Annesi Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, short pieces or books, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is submitting your work too soon. This holds true no matter how long you’ve been writing or what project you’re working on. Wherever you are in your writing career, there are guidelines to follow…

Issue Three Hundred Fifty Five Special Feature

12 Sure Signs You Should Give This Writing Thing a Try

By Jessica Delfino Are you floating the idea of quitting your full-time “other” job with insurance and benefits to write that master work that has been preoccupying a hefty chunk of your waking (and even sleeping) thoughts? Not so fast! Before you storm into your boss’s office and slam down a cake decorated with “I…

Issue Three Hundred Forty Eight Special Feature

It’s a Performance: Reading Your Work in Public

By Tom Sigafoos What are your worst fears? According to a legendary survey, most people are afraid of three things, in this order: Snakes Death Public Speaking Whether that survey was apocryphal or scientific, there’s a germ of truth in the premise: most people dread the idea of speaking in front of others. But reading…

Issue Three Hundred Forty Seven Special Feature

The Top Three Reasons Authors Need a Writing Community

By Kathryn Haueisen “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King Writing by committee is sheer torture for me. Leave me alone until I’ve written what’s been swirling around in my mind, keeping me awake by night and leading me to ignore real people because…

Issue Three Hundred Forty One Special Feature

The Writing Habit I Needed the Most

By Nicole Pyles Call me a bit of a Goldilocks when it comes to writing habits. I’ve tried the word-count-a-day habit, but sometimes I don’t have 500 words in me (or whichever word count a day I’ve decided upon). I’ve tried the 20-minute-a-day habit, but this results in me looking for excuses to not give…

Issue Three Hundred Forty Special Feature

Writing Partnerships: When Two Heads are Better Than One

By John Dorroh In the spring of 2014 I found myself at the post-funeral party for a friend’s husband. He was a member of a local band, well loved, and had a great sense of humor. He told his wife to throw a party in his honor a week after he was buried. I…

Issue Three Hundred Thirty Nine Special Feature

Articles by A Guest Author