June 21, 2022
When the Party’s Over
By Maggie Smith
I thought I’d prepared myself.
I thought I knew what to expect.
I was wrong.
My novel, Truth and Other Lies, released into the world in early March. It was a labor of love for four long years. I lived through fifty agent rejections before signing with a small press which then proceeded to go bankrupt. I dusted myself off, sent out more queries and signed with another small…
June 14, 2022
Research Skills for Novelists
by Kristin Oakley
Research? But I write fiction, can't I just make this stuff up? Yes, but even a novel has to be grounded in fact. Lack of plausibility is one of the main reasons agents, publishers, and readers reject a book. Novels that are well-researched are not only realistic, they're entertaining and…
June 7, 2022
A Hack’s Letter to a Young Writer
by Bill Ferris
Previously published by Writer Unboxed
Warning: Hacks for Hacks tips may have harmful side effects on your writing career, and should not be used by minors, adults, writers, poets, scribes, scriveners, journalists, or anybody.
As the years go by, I often think back to my early years as…
May 31, 2022
In Praise of Quitting
by Anna Elliott
In our culture, being a quitter isn’t generally seen as a good thing. We value determination, drive, commitment, and the willingness to carry a task through all the way to the end. And rightly so. Determination and commitment and all the rest are admirable qualities to have– and they’re essential…
May 24, 2022
On Rejection and Renewal: A Note to Aspiring Novelists
by Warren Adler, author of The War and the Roses
You’ve spent months, perhaps years, composing your novel. You’ve read and reread it hundreds of times. You’ve rethought it, rewritten it, and revised it, changed characters, dialogue and plot lines. Writing your novel is the most important thing in your life. It has absorbed your attention, almost exclusively. Both your…
May 17, 2022
To Outline or Not to Outline, That is the Tiresome Question
by Samantha Hoffman
The question of whether or not to outline your novel is probably explored more often than any other writing topic.
I do not outline, I just write. I have an idea in my head, something I've thought about for a long time, and I begin. I know the beginning, middle…
May 10, 2022
10 Tips for Writing After Attending a Writer’s Conference
by Kristin Oakley
You’ve just returned home from a writer’s conference and your head is spinning from all you’ve learned. You had a wonderful time socializing with other writers—your people—and have made valuable connections. You’re incredibly inspired. Now what?
10 tips to apply what you’ve learned:
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Review your notes and handouts…
May 3, 2022
Exactly What Does “Show, Don’t Tell” Mean?
by Samantha Hoffman
April 26, 2022
The Gift of Rejection
by Samantha Hoffman
There's not an editor, agent, publisher or reader alive who enjoys rejecting someone's work. It's the goal of every professional to find the next best-seller, publishable short story, postable blog. That's their job. They're all hoping the next piece they pick up will be the one.
Fingers crossed it's one…
April 19, 2022
