Many of us feel we have got a great story inside us just waiting to be told. But when it comes to putting pen to paper it can be difficult to find the right words. Being a good fiction writer is not just about having a fantastic idea for a story. It takes practice and…
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The Only Character Questionnaire You Need to Complete
Creating Characters – From The Cradle To The Grave. 94 Questions About The Characters We create Complete this questionnaire for your character even if you never use the information in your book. It will help you to see them as three-dimensional, nuanced beings who leave marks on many people’s lives. If you are writing speculative fiction,…
Key Elements in a Writing Contest … by Kathryn Mattingly
I feel honored to be the coordinator for the Northern Colorado Writers Top of the Mountain writing contest associated with the annual conference which will be open to submissions in September. It’s a pleasure working with the wonderful, expert judges and the inspiring entrants who never cease to amaze with their interesting and well-penned manuscripts.…
How To Convey Setting In Dialogue
How To Convey Setting In Dialogue – Without Sounding Like A B&B Brochure I was on a bit of a dialogue spree a few months ago, but I decided to post this with the setting series to give you (and me) a bit of a break. As I have mentioned, I prefer dialogue to narrative.…
Phillip Loyd’s Private Agent and Publisher List
This is my personal list of 800 commercial literary agents and independent publishers I compiled over 3 months. This list consists of agents and publishers from 8 countries and includes 50 or so of the sources I used. You won’t find any list like it that includes international sources all in one place. Please pass…
Central Oregon Writers Guild Meeting 6/16
Our featured reader was Pat Wilson. Patricia’s children’s book I Can’t See, But…I Can Imagine is fully illustrated, has 61 pages and includes a CD containing the entire story and five children’s songs written in the 1940s by her blind grandmother, Persis Beach Bennett. I Can’t See, But…I Can Imagine is now available in Print/Braille…
Free Writing Workshops at Barnes & Noble
Trish Wilkinson, editor and writing coach, and Linda J. Berry gave a free writing workshop to teens at B&N on 6/11. The kids really enjoyed it, and we were invited to do 3 more this year. If you have teens in Central Oregon, they are invited to the next workshop at B&N in Bend on July 17th at…
Create A Book Marketing and Publicity Campaign
Creating a book marketing and publicity plan is a necessity for indie authors and it’s advisable for even most traditionally-published authors to set up a some personal market tactics to execute in tandem with their publishers’ efforts. A strategic and well-thought-out publicity and marketing campaign will help spread the word about your finished book. When…
Have Some COMMA Courtesy
Ah, the comma. Of all the punctuation marks in English, this one is perhaps the most abused and misused. And it’s no wonder. There are lots of rules about comma usage, and often the factors that determine whether you should use one are quite subtle. But fear not! Below, you’ll find guidance for the trickiest…
7 Must-Have Networking Apps to Boost Your Social Media Marketing
By Sherice Jacob Do you want to build strong relationships around your brand? Are you using networking apps to connect online? Networking with the right people can make your brand stronger and more responsive. In this article you’ll discover how seven networking apps to build relationships. Find out how these networking apps can boost your…