Ryan Lanz's Blog, page 182

Revision: Making a Mess Less Complicated

by S.E. Jones There’s a lot you can fix in a first draft. It’s why they’re first drafts. You can focus on character, world building, plot, inner cohesion, the writing, the flow, the pacing–the list goes on and on. If you were to try and do it all at once, you’d go mad. … Continue reading Revision: Making a Mess Less Complicated

My Top 5 Tips For Launching a Writing Career

by Meg Dowell Everyone wants to be a writer. Not just any kind of writer, either. A successful writer. Everyone wants their name on theNew York Times bestseller list. Everyone wants to add “author” to their Twitter bio. Everyone wants to take what they enjoy doing and make a career out of it. Which … Continue reading My Top 5 Tips For Launching a Writing Career

An Ember In the Ashes – Book Review

Originally posted on The Book Review Directory:
? ? Title: An Ember in the Ashes Author: Sabaa Tahir Published: 2015 Pages: 436 Genre: Yong Adult/Sci Fi/Fantasy Format: Book borrowed from the library My rating: 4/5 ? Review: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met…

Writing and Balancing Social Media

by Eve Messenger As writers, most of us have four jobs: our day job, family life, writing, and social media. For obvious reasons, we have to spend time at our day jobs. We also have to spend time with our families because, well, relationships make life worth living. As for writing, that’s non-negotiable. Except … Continue reading Writing and Balancing Social Media

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Book Review

Originally posted on The Book Review Directory:
? Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Well, what a special novel this is. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it, and I certainly didn’t expect it to be so unique. I love it, and a quarter…

What’s In a Name? More Than You Think.

by Cassie Newell It’s interesting how names come about in literature and other facets of life. Do you ever wonder how names come about in writing and whatnot? I read an interesting fact today. It was about how Clark Kent came to be Superman. If you know me very well, you know I have …

Five Grammar Rules Every Self-Published Writer Needs To Know

by Gary Smailes As an editor, I’ve edited hundreds of books. One thing that you quickly notice is that there are certain mistakes that you see repeated time and again. This article contains the five most common grammar and punctuation mistakes I come across on a daily basis. My hope is that by sharing … Continue reading Five Grammar Rules Every Self-Published Writer Needs To Know

A Rake’s Reward – Book Review

Originally posted on The Book Review Directory:
? A Rake’s Reward Merry Men Quartet Book Two By: Meredith Bond Published by Anessa Books Published October 2, 2015 Genre: Historical, Regency, and Romance Back Copy: A treasure lost… American Sara Whately came to England with a single goal: recover a long-lost family treasure. Her father had…

The Erasure of Black Widow: Do We Need to Write Female Characters Differently?

by Sue Archer I saw the movie Avengers: Age of Ultron last week. I had been looking forward to watching this movie for a long time, so I did my utmost to avoid encountering any spoilers. I enjoyed it, though I felt that parts of it were uneven and that it didn’t come … Continue reading The Erasure of Black Widow: Do We Need to Write Female Characters Differently?

Ashley Bell – Book Review

Originally posted on The Book Review Directory:
? Featuring the most exhilarating heroine in memory and a sophisticated, endlessly ingenious, brilliantly paced narrative through dark territory and deep mystery, this is a new milestone in literary suspense and a major new breakout book from the long acclaimed master.At twenty-two, Bibi Blair’s doctors tell her that…