Mark David Gerson's Blog
May 26, 2009
Just got this note from writer Malcolm Campbell. Kudos to me, but more important, congrats to him!!Book Contract!
Let's hear it for The Voice of the Muse!!!
The book I wrote in 30 days using The Voice of the Muse and a few glasses of dark red wine is now under contract and may be released by late summer.
I'm rather astounded because I grew up in an era where the authors we all studied in school took years to write each book. So that's what I did.
Now, suddenly Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fir
May 17, 2009
Join me this afternoon for #writechat, a live -- and lively -- real-time chat about writing on Twitter.From noon to 3pm PT today (Sunday, May 17), I'll be once again guest-hosting this weekly event, where aspiring writers and published authors come together to talk about what they do.
If you're on Twitter, simply access it however you normally do. Then open a new browser window to http://search.twitter.com. If the link didn't already do it for you, type the hashtag #writechat in the search bar. T
April 21, 2009
"In 1797, Thomas Cadell made one of the greatest mistakes in publishing history. A Hampshire clergyman had written to him, offering a three-volume novel for publication by a first-time author. Without a word of encouragement, Cadell declined the book, manuscript unseen, by return of post. "Unfortunately for Cadell, the clergyman was the Revd George Austen, soliciting publication on his daughter Jane's behalf, and the novel in question was an early version of Pride and Prejudice
, recently voted t
March 31, 2009
“You just have to keep your dream. If you lose it and get cynical, you die.”~ Meryl Streep
"Where there is no vision, the people perish."
~ Proverbs 29:18
What's your dream for your writing? For your life?
Know that whatever it is, however improbable it may seem in this moment, it's not impossible. Nearly every success story begins with an "impossible" dream. Nearly every "overnight success" was years in the making.
Have you begun the book you've always dreamt of writing? Now is the time to put your
March 11, 2009
A Guest Post by John KremerNew York Times bestselling novelist Brad Meltzer tells a story about how he found out which Barnes & Noble outlet sells the most copies of his thrillers.
When a B&N national sales representative asked the author to guess which store in the chain sold the greatest number of his books, Brad first guessed Washington, D.C., since most of his novels are political thrillers. Not so, said the rep.
Brad then guessed New York City. Again, a no.
Turns out, Brad was never going to
March 2, 2009
You don't have to experience writer's block. Ever.You don't have to sweat over the blank page. You don't have to chew your pencil (or fingernails) to the nub. You don't have to wonder where the next word is coming from.
Writer's block is a myth -- not because you won't ever feel stuck but because there's no reason for you ever to stay stuck.
Do you wonder where your next breath is coming from? Unless you suffer from some sort of lung disease, you rarely think about your breath. You assume it will
Awards are great! And this blog just won one earlier today, thanks to Missy Frye at the Incurable Disease of Writing blog.It's the Premio Dardos (“prize darts” in Spanish), and it's given in recognition of cultural, ethical, literary and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing.
Now, it's my turn to pass the torch -- er, dart -- to these 15 blogs that, to me, meet the same criteria.
(Here's how it works: recipients accept the award by posting it on their blog along
