September 29, 2020
Memoir: Don’t Let Its Definition Hold You Back From Writing One
by Nancy Chadwick
Are you a writer who's working on a memoir and sadly believes it’s not one because you feel it doesn’t meet the definition? “Memoir is supposed to be about one specific incident during one part of my life, and I’ve got a few of them over a couple of decades,” you say. Though you may not be able to pinpoint a single incident that happened during a brief time in…
September 22, 2020
Blogger Lands Traditional Contract Without Proposal
by Jennifer Brown Banks
This post was originally published by CWA in August 2016. It's just as inspiring today. Dreams do come true!
Meet Yuwanda Black.
This author's story is one that many of us only dream of.
by Jennifer Brown Banks
Once upon a time she was a blogger, Internet…
September 15, 2020
Begin at the Beginning…or Maybe Not
By Barbara Linn Probst
Lewis Carroll advises, through the King of Hearts: “Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end. Then stop.”
He’s talking about telling a story aloud, in chronological order, and that’s fine. But when we do break the King’s rule, we need to know why we’ve…
September 8, 2020
Reading in the Time of a Global Pandemic
by Samantha Hoffman
My energy level has been all over the place during this global pandemic, right along with my powers of concentration, focus and motivation.
Can you relate?
When this first began I assumed the bright side would be all the extra time I'd have to complete projects that had been on…
September 1, 2020
Can Book Publishing Be Any More Confusing?
by Samantha Hoffman
Bennett R. Coles, author, editor and publisher, tells us the publishing landscape has changed a lot in the past decade, and there’s never been a better time to be an author. Good news, right? It is, but he also says there’s never been a more confusing time because there…
August 25, 2020
Writing Advice from Ray Bradbury
Compiled by Emily Temple
Ray Bradbury’s Greatest Writing Advice
By Emily Temple
Previously published on Literary Hub on August 18, 2018.
Today would have been the 98th birthday of Ray Bradbury, the greatest sci-fi writer in history, who (by no small coincidence) also happened to know a thing or two about…
August 18, 2020
CWA Presents…Your Independent Bookstore
The Book Cellar
The focus of CWA Presents... will be independent bookstores in the Chicago area. We understand the value and the need for these bookstores and wish to show our support, especially at this difficult time.
Visit your favorite bookstore soon...and buy books!
Our first interview is with Suzy Takacs,…
August 11, 2020
How to Find a Literary Agent For Your Book
by Jane Friedman
This post originally ran on Jane Friedman's blog in 2017, and is continually updated.
In today’s market, probably 80 percent of books published by New York houses get sold by literary agents. Agents are experts in the publishing industry and represent the interests of their author-clients. They have inside contacts…
August 4, 2020
13 Writing Tips
by Chuck Palahlniuk
Chuck Palahniuk’s 13 Writing Tips
- Set a timer: “When you don’t want to write, set an egg timer for one hour (or half hour) and sit down to write until the timer rings. If you still hate writing, you’re free in an hour. But usually, by the time…
July 28, 2020
Writing Lessons are Everywhere
by Samantha Hoffman
In this time of the pandemic, the way we study writing and storytelling has changed; we're not able, right now, to take live classes or attend workshops, conferences, book signings or readings. We can do some of that online, of course, but the thing is, writing lessons are everywhere.…
