» A Guest Author

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

How to Engage Your Readers By Editing for Who, What, Where, When Why, & How

By Wendy S. Delmater As a writer you want your readers fully immersed in your world, as seen through the eyes of a character that they fully identify with. The last, the very last thing you want to do is break the suspension of disbelief. In this final entry in a series of articles, I’ve…

Issue Three Hundred Thirty Eight Special Feature

Three Unusual Ways to Market Your Books

By Phil Bowie If you’ve exhausted all the usual ways to promote your books—having a nice-looking website, presenting an energetic social media presence, taking part in blog tours, seeking reviews, giving talks to civic and writers’ groups, doing traditional bookstore signings, and so on, here are three easy low- or no-cost unusual promotions that have…

Issue Three Hundred Thirty Six Special Feature

Three Reasons To Kill Your Darlings

By Ben Graff As writers, we have a natural tendency to like and feel protective toward our work. What appears to flow on the page when it is finally read by others, is actually the result of many desk hours, false starts and significant re-drafting. Still, perhaps for all the care we already take, there…

Issue Three Hundred Thirty Four Special Feature

What To Do About Imposter Syndrome

By Wendy S. Delmater Is there anything a writer can do about “Imposter Syndrome,” that feeling that you are just faking it and you’re not really who everyone in the writing community thinks you are? Yes. Let me use myself as an example. Back when in 2005, I started running Abyss & Apex, I used…

Issue Three Hundred Thirty Three Special Feature Uncategorized

A Professional Editor’s Perspective on Novelettes and Novellas

Wendy S. Delmater You may be one of a number of authors who finds themselves writing at the novella or novelette length. What is a novella or a novelette? Here are the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s definition of what constitutes a short story, novelette, novella or novel. It is based on the…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Nine Special Feature

What Not to Do: Who, What, Or Why?

Wendy S. Delmater As a writer you want your readers fully immersed in your world, as seen through the eyes of a character that they fully identify with. The very last thing you want to do is break the reader’s trance state. This is the first in a series of articles where I’ll use the…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Nine Special Feature

Genre: A Novel’s Flavor

By Modupeh Duncan Writing a novel comes with many challenges: finding time to write on a busy schedule, developing a consistent and intriguing plot, navigating character threads, creating well-rounded, realistic characters, etc. But something that most people do not spend enough time thinking about is genre. Selecting a genre seems almost intuitive; however, there is…

Issue Three Hundred Thirty Five Special Feature

Three Reasons To Work With An Editor On Your Book

Ben Graff For any writer, knowing how to make your book the best it can possibly be, is not an easy question. For the new author it is even more acute. What you have written matters. You have lived with the story for so long in your head. All those desk hours later something real…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Five Special Feature

Five Literary Journals that Publish Social Justice Writing

By Uma Menon The following is a list of five literary journals and magazines that encourage and publish submissions of social justice writing. Glass: A Journal of Poetry Glass: A Journal of Poetry includes a special feature, Poets Resist, dedicated to resistance poems on current events. They are looking for work that engages with political…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Four Special Feature

How to Reach International Readers With Your Books

by K.A. Wiggins The US is (still) the largest English-language book market, but the gap is rapidly shrinking. China’s publishing industry is taking off. India’s millions of English-speakers spend twice as much time reading as Americans. Italy and Germany have strong translation markets. Whether independent or traditionally published, authors who overlook the value of connecting…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Four Special Feature

Articles by A Guest Author