Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 68

Rejection: What It Is and Is Not

Before I got down to work yesterday, I was reading blog posts on the nonfiction blog for the journal Brevity. One on rejection really stood out – Rejection is (Still) Not Feedback. How often have you heard a fellow writer say one of these things or said them yourself? When you submit a piece to … Continue reading Rejection: What It Is and Is Not →

The Zombie Test or Author vs Passive Voice

“Editors don’t like passive voice.” I absolutely dread statements like this. Because they’re true but a lot of people are really bad at recognizing passive voice. Hint: Passive voice is more than using is, are, or was. In active voice, the subject does something to the object. “Bob painted the house.” Active. In passive voice, … Continue reading The Zombie Test or Author vs Passive Voice →

Writing Fiction that’s Real

Not long ago my book club read an adult novel with a drug dealer as the main character. Okay, not a dealer. Trafficker? Someone else was in charge of sales. He was in transportation. One other woman and I had serious problems with the book. I have a cousin who is in recovery. She divorced … Continue reading Writing Fiction that’s Real →

National Library Week

Did you know that April 23rd – 29th is National Library Week? There are so many ways to celebrate. How are you going to celebrate your library system this week? –SueBE

6 Tips When Creating a Marketing Plan

Imagine my joy when I was clicking through a publisher’s online submission form and came to the penultimate field. “Attach files here: Manuscript, cover letter, and marketing plan.” I must have groaned or something because my husband asked what was wrong. I didn’t have a marketing plan. No, it isn’t impossible but it does require … Continue reading 6 Tips When Creating a Marketing Plan →

Conventions, Tropes and Striking Out on Your Own

Yesterday I stumbled across a blog post by Savannah Gilbo on genre conventions vs genre tropes. As explained by Gilbo, a convention is a story element that fans of that genre expect to find in a story. Tropes are the way these conventions are enacted. So let’s say we are talking about cozy mysteries. A … Continue reading Conventions, Tropes and Striking Out on Your Own →

Board Books and Novelty Books

Writing for the youngest book lovers can be tricky. These stories aren’t just short. And, especially if you are only an author and not an author/illustrator, there has to be enough to them not to feel slight. Two different types of books for younger book lovers are board books and novelty books. Board Books ME … Continue reading Board Books and Novelty Books →

Norton Users Beware

Recently I received the PDF of a book with numerous links. It’s a how-to for writers that I’m reading to take part in a blog tour. One of the links was to the workbook that accompanies the main text. I clicked on the link but . . . nothing. Microsoft opens PDFs in edge, so … Continue reading Norton Users Beware →

What it’s been like to start a writing career in my forties

Today we have a guest post by novelist J.L. Lycette. She has writing an amazing STEM thriller, The Algorithm Will See You Now. How often have we heard someone say that they are too old to start writing? Read on to see just how to do it. And now for a word from JL Lycette. … Continue reading What it’s been like to start a writing career in my forties →

The Algorithm Will See You Now: A Review

When I agreed to take part in the book tour for The Algorithm Will See You Now by JL Lycette, I didn’t really know what to expect from this book. Sure, I had the description but that just the surface. What is it going to be like to step off into the deep end? In … Continue reading The Algorithm Will See You Now: A Review →