Tip of the Day, Creative Writing Tips

from Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman The interest areas of young readers are limitless. They enjoy contemporary, fantasy, mystery, and historical novels and more—trends in subject matter for children’s … Read more

from Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman Writers disagree on the exact definitions, but here’s one explanation: A theme is the message an author imparts to his readers through the … Read more

from Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman It is not crucial to obtain the services of an agent; you can always try sending query letters directly to producers and ask … Read more

from The Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman There are two ways you can approach this. One way is to submit a copy of your book to several publishers along … Read more

from The Beginning Writer’s Answer Book, edited by Jane Friedman In addition to checking agents out through AAR or the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org), look for Web sites where writers post information … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Like any other business, publishing is fluid. Things change. I’ve seen authors … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Writers tend to be introverts. We like to sit by ourselves and … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: People have a tendency to be afraid of losing out to others, … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: If you’re a type-A personality, publishing just might beat that out of … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Too many writers view conferences simply as a place to sell their … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: It’s already too late to write for today’s market. Book-length publishing is … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: This is such a hard and crazy business that writers tend to … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: In any gathering of authors, sooner or later you pick up a … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Some how-to-sell books and articles suggest that you compare your work to … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Nobody likes to be rejected. Rejection is not quite as bad as … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: There are numerous agents who charge reading fees to look at manuscripts … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Who likes to be stalked? Agents and editors certainly don’t, and neither … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: A synopsis is a short summary of a novel, the key word … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: When it comes to writing for magazines, one of the biggest mistakes … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Professionalism counts. While fiction writers usually have to have an entire manuscript … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Query letters are sales tools. Plain and simple. To hook an agent … Read more

70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, from The Writer’s Digest Writing Kit Why this is a mistake: Novice writers often create titles that won’t make sense to anyone who … Read more

How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen When writing your outline, don’t write about the subject, write about the chapter. Write one line of outline for each page of manuscript … Read more

How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen At the beginning of your outline, use a quote, event, revelaton, anecdoe, statistic, idea, surprise, or joke to entice editors to read on.