Anne R. Allen's Blog, page 16
March 6, 2022
Writers, Do You Need a Sensitivity Reader for Your Book?
The Sensitive Plant (Mimosa Pudica) by Anne R. Allen A friend recently hired several sensitivity readers to review his YA novel, which features characters of diverse ethnicities. He’s about to get on the query-go-round and wants to make sure the book won’t be found insensitive to those minorities. This is becoming increasingly important to the […]
The post Writers, Do You Need a Sensitivity Reader for Your Book? appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
February 27, 2022
Crave Rejection? 7 Never-Fail, 100% Guaranteed Tips for Raising your R-Score.
by Ruth Harris Here are Some Pro Tips And Tricks To Absolutely, Positively Raise Your Anemic R-Score. Are you embarrassed by your pathetic R-quotient? Do other writers sneer at your R-score? Has your pile of rejection letters stalled out? Have your R-levels been diagnosed as too low? Has too much time gone by since your […]
The post Crave Rejection? 7 Never-Fail, 100% Guaranteed Tips for Raising your R-Score. appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
February 20, 2022
Publishing Scammers are Everywhere: How to Stay Safe
by Anne R. Allen Publishing Scammers get more brazen all the time, and there seem to be more of them every day. Sometimes I wonder if all those people who have mysteriously quit their jobs aren’t now working as con artists and phone scammers. Just recently, the respected site Wattpad ran a contest that involved […]
The post Publishing Scammers are Everywhere: How to Stay Safe appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
February 13, 2022
How Many Ways Can You Think of to Replace the Word “Love”
By Kathy Steinemann Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day! Do you want to spice up the card you bought for your sweetheart? Maybe you’re writing a romance, and you need a few alternatives for love. People might say they love doughnuts, kittens, or coffee, but maybe they savor doughnuts, fawn over kittens, and crave coffee. Or perhaps […]
The post How Many Ways Can You Think of to Replace the Word “Love” appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
February 6, 2022
10 Dangerous Critiques: Beware Misguided Writing Advice
Dangerous Critiques can Turn Your WIP into a Jackalope by Anne R. Allen One of the most damaging things a new writer can do is try to please everybody who beta-reads or critiques their WIP. I’ve seen a novel turned into a kind of jackalope of unrelated parts. If you tend to be a “people […]
The post 10 Dangerous Critiques: Beware Misguided Writing Advice appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
January 30, 2022
9 Ways Clothes and Accessories Can Energize Your Plot and Define Your Characters
by Ruth Harris The nip slip and wardrobe malfunction make good fodder for the gossip sites, but, for writers, wardrobes — clothes and accessories — are a powerful tool in the arsenal. 1. Clothes and accessories show, not tell. Clothing and accessories instantly convey status, setting and mood. They have their own language and vocabulary and […]
The post 9 Ways Clothes and Accessories Can Energize Your Plot and Define Your Characters appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
January 23, 2022
Is Writer’s Block a Thing?: The Writer’s Block Expose
Writer’s block has hit a lot of us during the pandemic By William L. Hahn Other than a single flash piece before Christmas, I haven’t written a solitary word on my epic fantasy world in more than a year. And holy crow, do I need to. Not only do I have a complete, well-envisioned novel […]
The post Is Writer’s Block a Thing?: The Writer’s Block Expose appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
January 16, 2022
7 Deadly Query Sins: How to Write a Query That Won’t End Up in Spam
by Anne R. Allen When a writer complains that everybody in traditional publishing is crooked, or that the whole industry is rigged against new writers, you can usually be sure the author’s manuscript needs work. But it could also be that he doesn’t know how to write a query. I know some excellent writers who […]
The post 7 Deadly Query Sins: How to Write a Query That Won’t End Up in Spam appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
January 9, 2022
5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Book Title in the Internet Age
by Anne R. Allen I’ve blogged before with tips on choosing a book title, but recently I’ve become aware of a few other things we need to consider in the age of online bookselling. I ruminated about titles over the holidays, when I had a chance to read some titles from my TBR pile, and […]
The post 5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Book Title in the Internet Age appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
January 2, 2022
2022 Publishing Predictions from Agent Laurie McLean
By Laurie McLean of Fuse Literary Who could have predicted the bright ray of light that shined on publishing during this pandemic! But it did shine, and will continue to shine, as people rekindle their love of reading and writing! Publishing is more profitable than ever before in its history…for the second year in a […]
The post 2022 Publishing Predictions from Agent Laurie McLean appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
