How many of you want to see your work published? My guess is many of you raised your hands. Some writers write simply for the joy of creating or simply because they must. But, most of us do so because we want our work published–we want others to read our little masterpieces. Now, if you’re […]
How about that Perfect First Draft?
When writers tell me that they hardly edit their work, I cringe. Before I knew more about the creative process, I thought I was the only one who had to work and work to get my drafts decent enough to send out. Now I know that few people, even the best writers, write a first […]
What’s a Cozy Mystery?
Recently a friend asked me, “What’s a cozy mystery?” I suppose we writers think our readers know one genre from another. Perhaps they do not. For those who are interested a cozy mystery is your typical Agatha Christie Miss Marple type of mystery. The protagonist is not a professional sleuth or a police officer. Jessica […]
Agent Dilemma. . .
Writers are wondering about the value of pursuing an agent. As a nonfiction writer, I didn’t need to be agented to gain the attention of a publisher. All I had to do was write a darn good book proposal. Of course, had I had an agent, I might have worked out a better deal with […]
All Right Already!
Yesterday I finished reading two great books, Defending Jacob and Mission Flats, both written by William Landay. I enjoyed Defending Jacob so much that I immediately upon finishing it ordered Landay’s first book, Mission Flats. But, one thing bothered me throughout the reading and began to really gnaw at me the more I read. You […]
Time and Creativity
Today I listened to one of my favorite PRI programs, To the Best of Our Knowledge. This program was about how we change over time. The first segment dealt with slowing things down. Carl Honore, the founder of “slowing life down,” wrote the book, In Praise of Slowness in which he discusses slow travel, slow […]
Who are these People Who Award the Man Booker Prize?
Okay, so maybe I’m missing something here. But, I’ve read several finalists and winners of the Man Booker Award and have been profoundly disappointed. Apparently the award goes to the best fiction writers internationally, but I have to wonder what the judges are thinking. I recently finished Snowdrops by AD Miller. Let me tell you […]
New Thoughts on Self-Publishing
What are your thoughts on self-publishing? I ask this question carefully. I don’t want a long tirade on the arrogance of the traditional publishing market. In fact, I’ve had great experience with my publisher, ABC-CLIO, Praeger Press. They are not only responsive but they also do a good job. Nonetheless, I understand that the publishing […]
Creativity versus or not versus Editing
When does the creative edge fall by the wayside to that little editor’s voice in your head? One of my biggest writing problems is that I love to just let it flow. Often the characters develop minds of their own and go off on tangents to suit themselves (not my plan or plot). At times […]
Mystery, Thriller or Suspense?
When I asked the question so what is a mystery anyway, I got some interesting responses. Most people agree that the traditional who-done-it’s are mysteries. Whenever there’s a dead body early in the book, you have a mystery to find out who the dead person is and how that person ended up dead. I did […]
