Anne R. Allen's Blog, page 13
September 25, 2022
7 Ways Houses, Homes (and the Rooms in Them) Can Rescue that Stalled First Draft
Stalled first draft? Make plans for a new setting. by Ruth Harris Home is where the heart is. Or is it? Home sweet home. Or is it? You can’t go home again. Or can you? You can go from: Shirley Jackson’s spooky Hill House to the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas — The Rosemary’s Baby […]
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September 18, 2022
10 Types of Toxic People Who Can Stall Your Writing Career and Literally Make You Sick
by Anne R. Allen In her 1990 book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron warns creatives about crazymakers, the people who have no respect for your work and dominate your time with endless drama. But crazymakers aren’t the only people who can hurt your chances of having a successful creative career. There are a lot of […]
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September 11, 2022
What’s the Central Conflict of your Novel? Keep it Center Stage.
by Becca Puglisi “Conflict in Every Scene” We’ve all heard this advice, and for good reason. Your protagonist has a goal—hopefully, an audacious and high-stakes goal that is difficult to achieve. “Difficult” is important. It’s one of the qualities of a highly engaging story because the harder the goal is to reach, the less certainty […]
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September 4, 2022
How to Write a Short Story: Wisdom from C.S. Lewis
Write a short story–with advice from the creator of Narnia by Jim Denney When we think of short stories, we think of names like Poe, Chekhov, and Hemingway. But can you name your favorite C. S. Lewis short story? Probably not. Lewis is famed and beloved for The Chronicles of Narnia, but few readers are […]
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August 28, 2022
The Upside of Impostor Syndrome and 7 Ways to Deal with the Downside
by Ruth Harris What? There’s an upside to Impostor Syndrome? Yes. A sane, healthy mid-point exists between being stalled out by Impostor Syndrome and obnoxious, raging egomania so rancid even your dog hates you. Authentic modesty keeps you real — and productive. A certain degree of Impostor Syndrome can be the necessary spur that motivates […]
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August 21, 2022
Bogus Agents, Phony Communities, Fake Conferences, and Pay-to-Play Anthologies: New Scam Warnings for Writers
Bogus agents are impersonating real agents by Anne R. Allen Bogus agents are ba-a-ack. Once upon a time, in the long-ago era when I was querying, fee-charging agencies and in-house editorial services were the problem. Their scams usually involved charging a “reading fee” (a no-no for legit agents) or referring writers to editorial services and […]
The post Bogus Agents, Phony Communities, Fake Conferences, and Pay-to-Play Anthologies: New Scam Warnings for Writers appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
August 14, 2022
Can You Copyright a Character or Book Title? How about Trademarking?
Can an author copyright a character like Harry Potter? by Joseph Perry, Intellectual Property Attorney Copyright law is complicated. Can You Copyright a Title? No. Under the US Copyright Act, you cannot copyright a title. That is because titles are too short to be protected. Copyright law protects original works fixed in a tangible medium […]
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August 7, 2022
Nobody’s Reading My Author Blog! 10 Tips for Getting More Blog Traffic
by Anne R. Allen So you have an author blog on your website, but you haven’t posted there for over a year, when your last book came out. Or maybe you started a blog a while ago, but nobody visited, so it’s just floating out there in cyberspace, collecting spam. It can seem pointless to […]
The post Nobody’s Reading My Author Blog! 10 Tips for Getting More Blog Traffic appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
July 31, 2022
Is Decision Fatigue Standing Between You and Writing Success?
by Ruth Harris Decisions, decisions. Steak or salmon? Red or white? Wash the car or mow the lawn? Weights or barre class? Do the laundry or empty the dishwasher? Mustard or mayo? Petunias or pansies? Cheddar or Swiss? So what? What’s the big deal? Why are you wasting my time with stupid questions? I’ve got […]
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July 24, 2022
A Roadmap for the Author’s Revision Process
The author’s revision process can be a slog by Becca Puglisi Is there a better feeling in the world than finishing a manuscript? Typing The End, gazing lovingly at the overall word count, and recognizing you’ve accomplished something that not many people can do…you’re floating on cloud nine, and all is right with the world. […]
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