Nancy Christie's Blog, page 75
May 11, 2016
Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 5.11.16 from Stanley Karnow
It’s all well and good to go to writing conferences, belong to writers groups, even take writing classes.
But at some point, you need to be alone—just you and your thoughts—if you are going to get any serious writing done.
It may at times be lonely. It may at times be frustrating. But it’s necessary.
(image fromwww.befunky.com/)
May 4, 2016
Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 5.4.16 from John Updike
Maybe you know what you are going to write about. You sit down, plan it out and the words fit your outline.
But sometimes, what emerges on the page is vastly different from what you thought you were going to write—or even what you were thinking.
Don’t discard it.
Don’t fight it.
That’s inspiration at work.
Go along for the ride!
(image fromwww.befunky.com/)
May 3, 2016
Self-Publishing Insights and Tips
Lately, I have been toying with the idea of self-publishing. I’ve interviewed a number of authors on my blogs—this one as well as on One on One and Focus on Fictionones—who have gone that route, as well as talked to self-pubbed authors at conferences and meetings and, for the most part, they have been very enthusiastic about the experience.
That being said, there is a learning curve, as they all universally pointed...
April 27, 2016
Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 4.27.16 from Edna O’Brien
Find your writing place Writers live in two places. There is the “real world” with friends and family, the work and social environment that we inhabit on a daily basis.
Then there is the “writing world,” the place (literal or metaphorical) that we retreat to when we feel the need or urge to write. Even if that place is a crowded coffee shop, we still draw the curtainsaround ourselves as we scribble on the page or tap at the keyboard.
People come and people go and still we write, hidingin tha...
April 20, 2016
Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 4.20.16 from Sarah Jewett
Write for the world Who are you writing for? What influences your writing?
Your best writing is that that touches people from diverse walks of life, that reaches their hearts and minds, that strikes a common chord.
That is powerful writing indeed.
April 19, 2016
Ten Tips on Marketing Fiction: Guest Post from Heidi Angell
Fiction marketing 101 When I interviewed Heidi Angell for my One on One blog this past March, I was amazed and impressed with her book marketing prowess!
And, as a fiction writer and author, I wanted to pick her brain until it was bare as Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, because I knew there was more I could do to promote my work!
So I did—but then my better naturemade me realize that I shouldn’t keep her secrets to myself. Writers are, after all, supposed to help each other get ahead. So I asked h...
April 13, 2016
Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 4.13.16 from Anne Lamott
Always changing.. The beach changes with every tide, the waves bringing something new and different to the shore with each ebb and flow.
The same happens with writing. The work changes — and you change as well. But only if you allow it to happen.
April 6, 2016
Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 4.6.16 from Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Push Through the Block The first paragraph, the first sentence, the first word…
Sometimes wefind ourselvesstopped even before weget started.
When that happens, there is the temptation to walk away, give in, give up. We think if we were any good, the words would just flow.
Not true. Even experienced authors with miles of published words unrolling behind them can be slowed down when starting a new work.
The trick is to keep going. At this juncture, thequality of what we are writing matters les...
April 5, 2016
Authors: How To Make Bookstores Love You
Your book is ready to be released. Or maybe it’s been out for awhile and you are trying to generate some fresh interest.
In any case, you have set aside your pennies with a goal of doing some in-person appearances at bookstores.
Well, before you hit the road, make sure that you have done everything you can to make the events successful—both for you and the hosting location.
You might think that bookstore owners and managers don’t care how wel...
March 30, 2016
Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 3.30.16 from Robert Frost
Are you outside the story or inside it? We do such a fine dance when writing—staying outside of the story enough to write well but trying also to be feeling what the characters are feeling to give the events verisimilitude.
Robert Frost counseled that we shouldhave the same emotional reaction to what is happening that we wantthe reader to feel. Otherwise, our work is lifeless, rote, routine.
Write — and feel what you are writing. Be amazed, grieving, frightened, hopeful. Reactto your story an...
