Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 119

3 Cozy Mystery Quirks

I had to laugh at this meme when I saw it. Cozy mysteries are quirky in a lot of ways and that’s something to keep in mind if you are going to write one. Quirky Characters If the main characters in a cozy isn’t quirky, one of the secondary characters is. I’ve read books where … Continue reading 3 Cozy Mystery Quirks →

Why I Love My Library

That photo on the right is my local library branch. It is the library that I rode my bicycle to when I was a young reader. I’d check out a basketful of books and then bike home. As I think about it now, my mother who always caught an earful about how tiny the basket … Continue reading Why I Love My Library →

Social Media Marketing

Some time ago I took a social media marketing webinar with Ania Marcos. One of the things that she encouraged us to do was figure out the what, why and how of what we write. From that, everything else would flow. As an example, she encouraged us to look at Apple’s corporate motto. “Everything we … Continue reading Social Media Marketing →

My Work Routine

One of the things that I’ve realized as a working writer is that how I write best changes. What worked five years ago is not ideal today. When you have a deadline, ideal may be less important than laying the words on the page. But the reality is that I have sciatica. It isn’t really … Continue reading My Work Routine →

Why Writers Need to Talk to Each Other

One Saturday in April I was talking to some of my writing friends. I don’t get to visit with these ladies often because we are in Arizona, Nevada, etc. You get the point. We are each in a different state! But we were on Zoom. One of my friends told about a frustrating experience she … Continue reading Why Writers Need to Talk to Each Other →

Books In Translation

I’ve been thinking about books in translation a lot lately. About a month ago, I listened to an audiobook a friend recommended, Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People. The book is set in a small town in Sweden. As I listened, I knew that there were things that I wasn’t entirely understanding such as when people used … Continue reading Books In Translation →

3 Ways to Recognize a Hoax

Last week I got a message from a reader who had seen my post, “Scams, Cons, and Things to Watch Out For,” over on the Muffin. Unfortunately there are always people trying to take advantage of writers. Oh, let’s be real. There are always people trying to take advantage of people. I decided to write … Continue reading 3 Ways to Recognize a Hoax →

Passive Voice: The Best Test Ever

“Eliminate passive voice whenever possible.” My editor is so polite. He doesn’t have a fit when he finds passive voice in my work. But as soon as he mentions it, my mind goes blank. Sometimes I’m like that when you put me on the spot. I think the big problem with this is my grammar … Continue reading Passive Voice: The Best Test Ever →

Research: Do You Keep Your Sources?

Saturday I had a conversation with some of my fellow authors. One woman told us that she has boxes of material on each book. And she saves it all. Me? I have to admit that this is not my method for much of what I write. When I do educational books, I save PDFs of … Continue reading Research: Do You Keep Your Sources? →

What I’m Reading

I always have a ton of library books. There are the picture books stacked on the coffee table. There are the books for whatever I’m working on. And then there’s what I’m reading for fun. My fun reading is a little dark lately. At the moment I’m reading a middle grade novel called The Ash … Continue reading What I’m Reading →