Anne R. Allen's Blog, page 30
June 30, 2019
Rogue Characters: The Secret to Compelling Fiction
by Ruth Harris From the fairy tales read to us when we were children to the latest bestselling thriller, rogue characters are what keep us enthralled. From the Wicked Witch to the Superhero. Cinderella to Gone, Girl. Christian Grey to Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo. The Black Swan—or the Black Sheep. He/she/they/it […]
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June 23, 2019
We’re all Bozos on this Bus: 10 Lessons from 10 Years of Blogging
by Anne R. Allen Ooops. I seem to have missed my 10-year blogiversary! I posted my first attempt at blogging on Friday, March 13, 2009. Yes, Friday the 13th. Apparently I have a need to tempt fate. But I immediately lost the blog for about three months, and didn’t write my second post until June […]
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June 16, 2019
Two Punctuation Blunders that Puzzle Readers and Irk Editors
Don’t make these punctuation blunders. by Kathy Steinemann Are you guilty of these punctuation mistakes that confuse readers and drive editors batty? Someone told me recently that about 90% of writers need the information in this post (no names mentioned, but she runs a popular writers’ blog, the one with the green-on-green color scheme). Are […]
The post Two Punctuation Blunders that Puzzle Readers and Irk Editors appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
June 9, 2019
The Lure of the Writing Template: Why Filling in the Blanks Doesn’t Work
A writing template codifies a story pattern like The Hero’s Journey. by Janice Hardy There’s more to writing a great story than just ticking off plot and character boxes. Template is an ambiguous term in writing. It can refer to a writer’s personal style sheet used when developing a story, tools for brainstorming, or worksheets […]
The post The Lure of the Writing Template: Why Filling in the Blanks Doesn’t Work appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
June 2, 2019
The #1 Mistake New Self-Publishers Make That Leaves Them Vulnerable to Publishing Scams
Publishing scams target babes in the woods by Anne R. Allen I hear about new publishing scams all the time. Sometimes scammers approach me personally, but more often I hear a sad tale of woe from some newbie who has fallen for the latest con. This week I realized that almost all the victims of […]
The post The #1 Mistake New Self-Publishers Make That Leaves Them Vulnerable to Publishing Scams appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
May 26, 2019
Rejection: Why it Feels So Awful and 7 Ways to Heal the Hurt. Plus a Secret.
by Ruth Harris No. Non. Nein. Nyet. No effin way. And, in case you haven’t suffered enough: لا (That’s Arabic for “not right for us.”) And it’s not just you. If you’re a writer, you will be rejected. And you will be dissed. Period. Comes with the territory. (Sorry about that.) Kathryn Stockett ’s The Help (on the New York Times bestseller list for over 100 weeks, with sales of several million […]
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May 19, 2019
How to Avoid Clichéd Emotional Responses In Your Writing
Clichéd emotional responses like the single tear can bore your reader by Becca Puglisi The single tear trickling down the cheek. A kiss that leaves one’s knees weak. The grin that stretches from ear to ear. *Yawn* Oh, excuse me. I almost fell asleep there. Why Readers Hate Clichéd Emotional Responses Clichés in writing are […]
The post How to Avoid Clichéd Emotional Responses In Your Writing appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
May 12, 2019
What’s Your Author Persona? How to Be Yourself Online—Only Better
by Anne R. Allen I blog often about an author’s online presence and the importance of keeping your image squeaky clean, especially when you’re starting a writing career. That image is sometimes called your “author persona.” Artists have always had personas—an image they project when they are in public. It may involve a way of […]
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May 5, 2019
Beware Bogus Writing Contests! Look for These 8 Red Flags.
by Anne R. Allen. Recently I’ve been seeing a bunch of ads for writing contests in my Facebook feed. Plus I’ve been getting unsolicited mass emails advertising similar competitions. Some of them look pretty legit, but I couldn’t help asking myself why. If it’s such a great contest, why do they need to use spam […]
The post Beware Bogus Writing Contests! Look for These 8 Red Flags. appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.
April 28, 2019
Good News About Procrastination: Psychologists Explain Why We Do It (Not What You Might Think.)
Why procrastination feels so awful…and proven techniques to get you on the path to productivity. by Ruth Harris We really, really want to write our book/next chapter/next scene, but we don’t. Instead, we Organize our sock drawer. Search for the missing sock. It must be somewhere. The washing machine? The dryer? Under the bed? Under the dog’s […]
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