Anne R. Allen's Blog, page 4

Mastering Point of View: How to Learn to Avoid Head-Hopping

  by Anne R. Allen Whenever I teach a writing workshop, the hardest concept to get across is point of view. Almost every new writer wants to “head-hop”— that is, describe the thoughts of every character in the story — “hopping” from one head to another. This is why head-hopping is considered the mark of […]

The post Mastering Point of View: How to Learn to Avoid Head-Hopping appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

Should You Show a WIP to Friends and Family?

  by Anne R. Allen What should a new writer do when friends or family members ask to look at your fledgling WIP (work in progress)? We’re usually eager to share our work, and want to hear if we’re on the right track. The problem is, over-exuberant praise can keep us from polishing a draft, […]

The post Should You Show a WIP to Friends and Family? appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

How to Stage a Book Event That’s Entertaining and Draws a Crowd

  by Anne R. Allen How do you plan an in-person book event that people actually want to attend? That is — people who are not your family, friends, or coerced co-workers? Should you sign books, maybe while offering coffee and cookies? Or should you offer a reading, where you read aloud from your book? […]

The post How to Stage a Book Event That’s Entertaining and Draws a Crowd appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

Is Fear of Creativity the Root of Bad Writing?

  by Ruth Harris Style was once described as “looking like yourself on purpose.” I don’t know who said it but the words and the idea behind them always made sense to me. Certainly Barbra Streisand, Audrey Hepburn and Tilda Swinton are examples. So are Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. They don’t look like anyone else and are instantly […]

The post Is Fear of Creativity the Root of Bad Writing? appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

Genre, Comps, Categories, and Labels: Where Does Your Book Belong on a Bookstore Shelf?

  by Anne R. Allen Unless you’ve chosen to write in a specific genre from the get-go — and you’ve purposely written Romance, Mystery, Sci-Fi, etc, one of the toughest jobs for a new writer is figuring out how to categorize your book. I spent years querying an uncategorized book, and many of my books […]

The post Genre, Comps, Categories, and Labels: Where Does Your Book Belong on a Bookstore Shelf? appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

What I Wish I’d Known Before Self-Publishing My First Novel

  by Jaire Sims I decided to write and publish a Young Adult (YA) story when I was in high school. The process was exciting but had challenges along the way. Once I began writing my debut novel, it took almost ten years to self-publish my story, and the year after publishing, Getting By earned […]

The post What I Wish I’d Known Before Self-Publishing My First Novel appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

Nobody Expects the Trollbot Inquisition! Are Foreign Bots Censoring U.S. Authors?

Exterminate, exterminate—the Trollbot Inquisition may be coming for you! by Anne R. Allen We hardly ever write personal stuff here on the blog. I avoid politics and religion in my fiction as well as social media, and I figure nobody needs to hear about my little emotional ups and downs. But a couple of weeks […]

The post Nobody Expects the Trollbot Inquisition! Are Foreign Bots Censoring U.S. Authors? appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

Agents: The Good. The Bad. The Downright Disgusting.

by Ruth Harris Your agent is your representative in the publishing world. A good or great one will have wide knowledge of the current trends — are historicals hot? Is alien sci-fi romance coming up? Is medieval adventure staggering along on its last legs? Your agent will know where best to target your work, which […]

The post Agents: The Good. The Bad. The Downright Disgusting. appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

How to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters

  by Becca Puglisi Like many other kids, I got my first job as a babysitter. You’re probably picturing me as a competent, CPR-trained teenager armed with craft supplies and a boatload of determination. But this was 1981, which means I was a whopping nine years old when someone put me in charge of their […]

The post How to Motivate Emotionally Challenging Characters appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.

Why There’s Nothing Icky About Promoting a Book

by Leah Paulos Many authors would rather chew off their own arm than stand in the spotlight promoting a book. They say things like, “I don’t want to seem narcissistic,” “I hate being like, ‘Me, me, me!’” or “I just want to write.’” If this describes you, I am here to explain why — and […]

The post Why There’s Nothing Icky About Promoting a Book appeared first on Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris.