» A Guest Author

Don’t Change Your Debut

By Grace Bialecki I was nearly finished with my first novel when I met up with an author acquaintance to ask for advice about getting a literary agent. It was a bitter New York winter night, and I felt icy and invigorated as I slid into the bar. Soon I would send out my manuscript…

Case Studies Issue Five Hundred Thirty Three

It’s Time to Stop Reading and Start Writing

By Ratika Deshpande Let me ask you a question: in the last week or month, how much time have you spent reading about writing? How many articles on how to open your novel? How many articles on the routines of famous writers? How many articles describing the success stories of those who’ve come before you?…

Issue Five Hundred Thirty Two

Locking it Down During Lockdown: Writing and Publishing During the Pandemic

— By A. K. Adler Lockdown was good for me. Suddenly, everyone seemed to be in a fervour of baking banana bread and online workout groups. I’ve always hated baking and exercise, so I took a writing course. Until that point, writing had been a hobby. I’d already written three novels, and self-published them because,…

Issue Five Hundred Thirty One

3 Mistakes That Eventually Led to a Small Press Contract

By Jean Burgess If you are one of those “full steam ahead” types, who are too impatient to learn from your mistakes, then stop reading now. However, if you are willing to learn how, as a novice fiction writer, I made a few major mistakes and still ended up landing a contract with a small…

Issue Five Hundred Thirty

How to Make Your Emotional Scenes Believable and Engaging

By Emily-Jane Hills Orford Are you writing a tear-jerker scene? Or a passionate love scene? How about something humorous? Emotions are a powerful tool to engage readers. You want them laughing, crying and getting involved with the characters. What are some of the techniques you can use to embellish the emotions? From asking the famous…

Issue Five Hundred Thirty Uncategorized

How to Use Reels & Shorts to Grow Your Author Platform

by Syris Valentine Whether you’re pursuing indie or traditional publishing, practically every author needs their own platform to help market their books. The world of author marketing can be overwhelming at times. Even when you’re only concerned with social media, there’s a lot to decide. Do you choose Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or any of…

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Nine Special Feature

Writing Tips that Help Me Sleep: Plus Thoughts From Other Authors

By Tom Vandel I started writing because I couldn’t sleep. I’d lie awake at night thinking of a story (mine was about getting lost in Montana) and my mind would conjure and ponder and wonder what if, what if, on and on, until I realized I had to write the damn thing in order to…

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Eight Special Feature

How to Write Nonfiction Books for Young and Emerging Readers

By Ann Ingalls The first word I ever read and made sense of was the word come. I sat alone at my parents’ dining room table. Held my book and it occurred to me that C made a hard sound. M made a soothing sound. That was enough information to read the word. I was gob-smacked!…

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Seven

Dealing With “Backseat Writers”

by Ellen Levitt Have you ever been at the wheel of your car, and one of the passengers starts telling you what to do, griping about your driving, and otherwise trying to do your job? Then you’ve dealt with a backseat driver, and it can be wearisome. Have you ever found yourself in the kitchen…

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Six

Imitating John Steinbeck: A Guide to Keeping a Writing Log

By Ratika Deshpande Every time John Steinbeck sat down to write the next words of his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath, he first wrote in his journal. This notebook, which was later published as Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath gives us a look inside Steinbeck’s mind—his struggles, his inspiration, his self-doubt,…

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Six

The Story Behind “This Is Not My Story”

By Ryan Uytdewilligen In early-2015, I was working outside in the rain when an idea for my first children’s picture book struck me like lightning. It was about a little talking raindrop named Drew Drop who loses his parents when they are absorbed by the sun through the water cycle. It rhymed. It was philosophical….

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Five

Colloquialism in Text

By Ann Ingalls When I moved to Missouri from New York state with my husband and young children, I knew there would be many changes and adjustments. I looked forward to learning about a new part of the country, history, meeting new people, and learning about new customs. What I didn’t expect was the wonderful,…

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Four

My Journey from Self Publishing to Traditional Publication

By Rachel Presser Back in 2015, I started my own consulting business and soon added writing for hire services. With a goal to have a flexible income source that paid more than my last salaried job at a tax law office and let me focus on game development, I knew I couldn’t rely on grinding…

Case Studies Issue Five Hundred Twenty Three

How to Set Concrete Goals for Your Writing

By Ratika Deshpande One of the most helpful things I’ve done for my writing is setting concrete goals. Writers struggle to establish a daily writing habit because, well, building habits is difficult, and we have other responsibilities that need our attention–jobs, families, health. In all that mess and uncertainty and lack of time, a concrete…

Issue Five Hundred Twenty Two Special Feature

How a Reprint and a Long Held Story Got Published

By Nancy Julien Kopp Some years ago, I had written a personal essay about how my father, who had a problem acknowledging disabled people, learned to accept his first grandchild who was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Those two disabilities proved a big burden for our sweet baby girl but also the catalyst for…

Case Studies Issue Five Hundred Twenty One

Articles by A Guest Author