Tag: Indie author bad habits

6 Overused Phrases and What They Reveal About Your Writing

mark-twain-never-saidOne of the most difficult things for authors to do is improve the tone or style of our writing. Tone especially is a nebulous, hard-to-define quality that is essential to the reader’s enjoyment of our work, but we rarely get specific feedback about it, or find any way we can fix it if something is wrong. And feedback is essential, because these qualities are so intuitive that it is difficult to self-analyze. It’s easy to figure out that you use more commas than most writers. It’s much more difficult to realize that you sound “preachy,” and even harder to fix the problem.

However, there is one way of getting into the depths of your own writing: analyze your overused words. Continue reading “6 Overused Phrases and What They Reveal About Your Writing”

Here we go again…indies and their editing (or not)

thumb-440352_1280There are many, many topics to talk about in the writing world. There’s lots of advice to be asked and given. Some issues just keep on turning up like bad pennies. For example, authors behaving badly has turned up more than once in IU posts. A few authors behave badly, it seems. But another topic that keeps rearing its ugly head is…*lowers voice and mouths exaggeratedly*…e-d-i-t-i-n-g. Just when you thought you’d said your bit on the subject, along comes another shambles of an unedited book, so off we go again… Continue reading “Here we go again…indies and their editing (or not)”

How Do You Define Credibility and Legitimacy as an Author?

approved-29149_640I read an article recently where an author discussed the benefits of purchasing a review from Kirkus. He felt it lent credibility to his work. He claimed that there was no boost in sales from the paid review, so it did not help him connect with any new readers, but he thought it gave him credibility. Yes, credibility. Stay tuned, I have more; it’s been a busy month.

I attended a meeting a short while ago at a major library. The library management invited a group of local authors to participate in a think-tank and discuss how the library could connect with the self-publishing community. It was a really powerful meeting. Some of the authors were both self and traditionally published and I overhead a couple of them talk about how they felt legitimized by signing with an agent and being traditionally published. I heard the same comment when I taught a workshop recently. There were authors who felt they needed to be legitimized, and having an agent or publisher would deem it so. Continue reading “How Do You Define Credibility and Legitimacy as an Author?”

Flamenco Dancing on a Dead Horse

K.S. Brooks by Richard Kridler
K. S. Brooks firing a Sig Sauer 2022 9MM by Richard Kridler

I’m not going to beat a dead horse. I’m going to Riverdance on that carcass. That’s right. Because I don’t bang my own head against a wall anymore. Shooting things is far more rewarding. And productive. And fun.

There’s been a lot of complaining going around lately. Some of it’s good, some of it’s annoying. This past Friday, my buddy Ed McNally wrote a brilliant post. If you missed it, read it here. Ed pointed out how much negative energy was being spent complaining instead of banding together and working towards a common goal. So I shall now add my two cents to the compendium. Continue reading “Flamenco Dancing on a Dead Horse”