Guest Columns

When literary agent Elizabeth Kracht (Kimberley Cameron & Associates) asked me to be her assistant, I jumped at the opportunity. Since then, I have been exclusively perusing E’s slush pile; helping with client manuscripts; aiding with editorial pitch letters; and answering a general melee of unique and sometimes challenging questions.

Learning about The Industry from the inside has really helped me see what I need to do in my own writing, in order to boost myself up to that place we all desire: Getting our novel or collection or memoir, etc, out there. The information, the discussions (some involving me, some overheard), the questions and challenges, are invaluable to a young writer. I am learning the ropes, cutting my literary teeth, washing the green off, slowly. Read more

People ask me – you’ve got a child, a job, a commute, a house to run. How do you fit it all in? Well, to start with, all that stuff about scheduling my day, setting aside proper writing time, settling myself into a solid routine? Forget it.

That’s all shiny and fine if you’ve the time and the space. If you’ve got the job, and the family and the multipack of other fun responsibilities, you know it doesn’t work like that. However good your intentions, it’ll get messed up within three days of that nice chart thing that you’ve pinned to your fridge. That’s just how life works. So:

1. Master the art of snap-writing… Read more

2. Give yourself permission to keep writing. I’ve heard writers say, “If I haven’t sold something within the next two years, I’ll know I should give up.” Or, “If I don’t make money from writing by January, I’ll know I should stop spending so much time trying, because it’s disruptive to other areas of my life.” But by giving the universe an ultimatum, you’re letting external circumstances decide the course of your creative pursuits. Instead, take charge of your own future. Give yourself permission to keep writing despite discouraging feedback or missed timeline targets. Believe you deserve to continue, no matter what happens.

GIVEAWAY: Holly is excited to give away a copy of King Solomon’s Wives: Hunted to a random commenter. (Comment within 2 weeks.) The book is digital — for Kindle, Nook, and Android, and through the Kindle app on iPhone, iPad, PC, and Mac. (Update: souldancer won.) Read more

If you’re struggling with writer’s block, don’t get discouraged. This happens to every great writer at some point, and it’s easy to overcome it. I get stuck many times in the middle of a novel. I lose my muse and don’t feel like writing. I stare at the computer screen and no words come to mind. My head feels stuck, stuck, stuck. It can be frustrating. After twenty years of writing historical thrillers and supernatural horror novels, I’ve learned how to get past writer’s block. Here are seven powerful ways you can get back into the flow of writing… Read more

I wrote “unparagraphs”, I aimed for imbalance, I stayed in the moment indefinitely, I realized my maximal self on the page. Most importantly, I wrote myself on to the page. And I learned, as all writers must, how to write in the face of rejection. I received a rejection from an editor I admired, and the next day I wrote.

Guest column by Jay Ponteri, author of the 2013 memoir WEDLOCKED. Read more

Writing a synopsis is usually one of the most difficult things about pitching a novel. It’s incredibly difficult to summarize your entire book in just one page. How do you condense all that info? What gets cut? How much detail should you give? Is it worth mention elements like subplots and character arc?

These types of questions are why we have literary agent Nephele Tempest (The Knight Agency) to teach “Conquer the Dreaded Synopsis: Construct Your Ultimate Sales Tool” — a brand new live webinar at 1 p.m., EST, Thursday, April 25, 2013. It lasts 90 minutes, and all attendees will get their synopses personally critiqued by Nephele following the event. Get agent eyes on your work! Don’t forget that at least 3 agents from major agencies have signed writers after seeing their work as part of a WD webinar. Read more

Different writers have difficulty with different parts of the writing process. Some hate fiddling with background information. Others despise revising. Others can’t stand outlining. Me? I have the most trouble with drafting.

By “drafting,” what I mean is this whole “get the story down on paper” part of writing. It’s not that I have trouble coming up with new material, or that I don’t know where the story is going, it’s just that I have trouble getting what’s in my head down onto paper.

GIVEAWAY: Kat is excited to give away a free copy of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: justsaymoo won.) Read more

1. Do the math. Before you undertake the final throes of a deadline, you should map out how much time you have and how much writing you have to do. It’s a terrible SAT math question: if a novelist only has so much time to write x-amount of words, how long before it feels as though those two trains are coming straight at him/her? (show your work). Read more

I wrote Anne Rice an email. She wrote me back fifteen minutes later. I couldn’t believe it. Here I was, a stranger, and she immediately wrote me a kind, friendly note. Having a positive relationship with your readers pays off. Readers are more likely to buy your book if they feel a personal connection to you. They’re more likely to mention your book to their friends, because they want to brag about how they interacted with the author. I’ve had readers introduce me to reporters, set up book signings and get me speaking engagements. Here are 4 simple points to help build healthy relationships with your readers… Read more