I’d better find someone to help me type. I’m going to have very tired fingers.
Well, my observance of National NO Writing Month ended one day into November. I was planning a steadfast boycott of writing this month, per my post here. My plan, however, was foiled by the one thing I can’t say no to: a double-dog-dare.
Yes, that’s right. I was double-dog-dared to write not one, not two, but three books during the month of November. Because, really, everyone else is writing ONE book. Who cares? Let’s make this a real challenge and up that ante. Three books – written, edited, formatted, and published. You think I can do it? Continue reading “NaNoWriMo Triple Double-Dog-Dare Challenge”
Or you could just go somewhere with no internet and no electricity.
Let’s face it, writing a book is hard work. You might even break a sweat, or pop a cog in your brain. Who wants to do that? So, enter November – NaNoWriMo – National No Writing Month. This is one month where we authors, writers and scribes can legitimately rest our brains from the toils of our literary efforts. I know, I know, it won’t be easy – so here are some tips to keep yourself from writing that book without losing your edge.
#1 – Committees and meetings are an excellent way to prevent progress on any level. So, form a committee for your book! Find a bunch of people who also write and invite them to your own Yahoo!, Facebook, or Goodreads group. If you can actually get them to pay attention to anything you have to say in between announcements of their free eBooks and basic spamming, you might get some input. That input will probably spark a discussion. That discussion will most likely get sidetracked onto the subject of kittens or television shows. See? It works. Continue reading “No Writing Allowed”
I used to be a magician’s assistant. Nothing fancy. I did a few close-up bits that kept kids quiet on airplanes; I knew a few secrets that David Copperfield paid me not to tell. Mainly I wore a leotard and fishnets and pointed at things so no one would notice the magician furiously changing his clothes behind a screen. Much of it I’ve forgotten or have promised my lawyers I’ll never reveal until I see a few more zeroes on the offer. One trick, though, I can reliably pull off: when readers tell me they like my books and I ask them to post a few words for an Amazon review, these nice people invariably disappear. Ta-dah! Continue reading “How to Write a Book Review”
Once upon a time, there was a lovely author. She was smart, and sexy, sassy and…okay, okay, I said it was a fairy tale, remember? Anyway, she’d been writing her whole life, and finally finished her first novel. Now, this gorgeous author was alive back in the days before there was internet. Yes, I know, that was a very long time ago. You probably weren’t even born yet! But such a time did exist. Ha, ha, very funny. Yes, there was electricity. And typewriters. You’ve probably never seen one of those, have you, smarty pants?
This voluptuous writer, her dream was to have her book represented by the William Morris Agency in New York City. She sat in their waiting room when she was 15 years old, just watching the goings on. It was a magical afternoon in the city that never sleeps. She believed it was her destiny. How could she be denied?
Fast forward to the 1990s. The author’s first manuscript was complete. It was an action-adventure novel which would rival Ian Fleming and definitely kick Clive Cussler’s far-fetched ass. She was ready. She contacted William Morris. They wanted it. Months went by. The vice president had taken an interest. Three readers read it. Things were happening, indeed. Continue reading “A Frustrated Fairy Tale”
