Friday, March 1, 2013

Lesson from Argo: Why Storyboards Are Great Tools for Building Great Books-- And How You Can Make Yours Unique

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I recently watched the movie Argo, which was just released on DVD.  Movies like these I prefer seeing at home, so I can study their ...
Friday, February 22, 2013

What Genre Is Your Book? A Look at the New Hybrids in Creative Nonfiction

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A January 18 essay in the  New York Times Sunday Book Review, "I Change, You Change," by writer Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, discuss...
Friday, February 15, 2013

How to Fill the Creative Well with a Well-Timed Rest Break

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There are some important signs of burn-out that writers need to attend to.  An overactive Inner Critic.  A feeling of the blues about on...
2 comments:
Friday, February 8, 2013

The Five-Day, 17,000 E-Book Download--A Self-Publishing Success Story

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July 2010.  I'm sitting next to Therese Pautz, a woman in my Madeline Island book-writing retreat.  It's midsummer and outside...
8 comments:
Friday, February 1, 2013

Why Studying Other Authors Helps You Practice Your Book-Building Skills

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This week I am finishing yet another round of edits on my revision of Breathing Room, my next novel.  My wonderful editor, a flight exp...
2 comments:
Friday, January 25, 2013

Writing a Premise Statement--Why This Tip from Screenwriters Can Help Book Writers of Any Genre

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In my online book -structuring classes, we always write a premise statement.  Most new writers have never heard of this focusing tool f...
1 comment:
Friday, January 18, 2013

Finding the Key Conflicts in Your Story--How to Sift through all the Problems to Find the Pivot

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The main reason books are rejected, according to one of my colleagues who is in the business?  Nothing happens. The stakes in a stor...
2 comments:
Friday, January 11, 2013

Crafting a Credible Narrator--How the Emotional Narrative Arc Works in Memoir

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A writer in one of my classes is working on a memoir about a serious event that happened a few years ago.  She's focused in on the...
4 comments:
Friday, January 4, 2013

The Value of Winter Writing Retreats-- How to Stand Back and Get a Better Look at Your Book

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Years ago, I lived near the excitement and chaos of New York City--close enough to train in for an opera or play.  The speed of life was...
Friday, December 28, 2012

Writing a Series Mystery--Tips from Just-Published Author Steve George

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Steve showed up at one of my workshops a few years ago.  I was impressed with his writing; he was working on a mystery that featured an ...