Merry Farmer's Blog, page 25

Indie eBooks Are The New Lipstick

I love posting about history on this blog. A lot of really fascinating things have happened in this world over the years! It’s extra fun when the history is happening right now, in the news, all around us. We definitely have that going on in the form of everything that is happening between Russia and […]

The Number One Essential for Being a Better Writer

At this point in my career (several books published, a couple of awards under my belt, reasonably successful), I tend to be asked the question “How did you manage to get to that point?” a decent amount. I’m not famous or a bestselling author—yet—but I am doing better than average for a selfie. At the […]

The Final Stetch

I remember when I finished my first novel. I mean, really finished. I’d written a thousand or so beginnings in my life. I’d even written a dozen or so middles. But until I tapped out that final scene of that particular book, I’d never in my life made it to the end. A funny thing […]

2014 Books #8 – #12

Yes, I have continued to read books this year, even though I haven’t been able to talk about the books I’m reading. I’ve been reading almost exclusively as a judge in more than one contest involving published books, so I haven’t been able to tell you what I’m reading. But like last time, that doesn’t […]

The Importance of Writing Communities

Every writer is inevitably asked the same question by bloggers and peers looking for advice: What’s the best piece of advice you would give to an aspiring writer? There are a lot of different answers that I would give to this question, everything from “keep writing” to “read a lot of books” to “find yourself […]

Where Did Robert’s Rules of Order Come From?

Okay, without going into too much detail that I’m not at liberty to discuss, I learned more about the minutiae of Robert’s Rules of Order last week than I ever wanted to know in a lifetime! Sure, I was familiar with Robert’s Rules. I’m pretty sure that anyone who has served on a committee in […]

If They Would Just Talk About It: When Your Characters Refuse To Reveal Something

I read a lot of books. I read a lot of reviews of books too. There are a lot of opinions about plot and character and the way that stories unfold out there! As a writer, I find it important to stay on top of what people do and don’t like about a wide variety […]

Bromance, Victorian Style

I’m pretty sure that we’re way too quick to read into personal relationships in the 21st century. I am all for the push toward marriage equality and sexual liberation, but I’m also increasingly of the opinion that we’ve gone a bit too far when it comes to defining friendships. I talked a little bit about […]

In Defense of Bromance

Anyone who has been following me on Facebook recently has probably noticed that I’ve gotten a little obsessed with the BBC version of Sherlock. That all started when a good friend of mine insisted that I MUST watch the show. Well, she was right. It’s fantastic. It’s brilliantly written, superbly acted, and expertly filmed. But […]

How My Writing Has Changed (And Yours Will Too!)

The one consistency in life is that everything changes. The publishing industry is in the midst of colossal change that, like a beautiful phoenix immolating and rising from its own ashes, I’m obsessed with. But more than just the industry on a global scale changes. I’ve noticed that my own writing process has changed a […]