Word magic.
Concerned about nonfiction sales? A new author, who’s revising her first book, asked for tips to help her to sell. My suggestion: think about your audience. How will your book improve their lives—or entertain them? We looked at the ASK process. ASK is an acronym for: A: the angle. An opinion, a slant, a point of view. S: the story. … Read more
Here’s one of my best writing tips: use the ASK process in all your writing. Not only does ASK clarify your writing to YOU (so that you know what you’re doing, and get confidence), it also helps you to write for readers. We looked at the ASK process in an article on how to make writing a book easier. However, … Read more
Here’s the biggest challenge with writing tips: you tend to forget them when you need them most. A few days ago, I caught myself whining to a friend about a lack of inspiration for a current project; I wasn’t sure I’d make the deadline. “You’re overthinking,” my friend suggested. “You’ve got dozens of writing tips for getting inspired and writing … Read more
Here’s a quick writing tip: if you’re writing fiction, start by deciding how many words your novel, novella, or serial needs. For efficient writing, deciding on a word count eliminates many uncertainties. As you may know, I mentor authors. Last week, an author contacted me about her romantic mystery. After writing a few thousand words, she was ready to give … Read more
Wish you knew how to outline your writing? Whenever I use the word “outline” to my students, I know a couple of people in the group will sigh and look as if they wish they were somewhere else. Anywhere else. To eliminate the panic, I suggest to my students that they substitute the word “map” for “outline.” A map: Orients … Read more