Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 165

Ethics: What to Do?

<!--[if gte mso 9]>

When Writers Play

- from Susan


Today is April Fools Day but this is no joke. I was with a few hundred other authors and an equal number of fans in Vancouver, BC all last week. I did not write, not a word on either of my works in progress, and not a blog for today. So, here's something offered for fun: Seven active Minds and one alumnus, off - most of us - to have lunch and talk about all the writing we weren't doing!





Since Cathy Ace (in the middle) was the toastmaster of the event and since Catriona (in red) was...

Publishing, publishing...

What’s the most important thing a publisher can do for an author?
Good question!
A publisher has the ability to change an author’s life, transporting them from the humdrum daily grind and propelling them to international stardom and the riches that go with it. The problem is, it doesn’t always work out that way, and even when it does, there’s generally an awful lot of hard work that goes into the process.
As my partners in crime have pointed out already this week, it’s hard to underestimate the...

The Plover and the Crocodile

What’s the most important thing a publisher can do for an author?
From Jim




Milliners make hats. They don’t fly airplanes or sell insurance. Writers write books or stories. They’re not responsible for editing their work. They don’t design the covers for their books, and they don’t distribute them to bookstores. And they sure as hell don’t act as a marketing department for their work.
Oh, wait... Yes, they do. Never mind. Let’s start over.
What is the most important thing publishers do? There are m...

Look who dropped in

What’s the most important thing a publisher can do for an author?
Well, look who I found! Our very own Rachel (RM) Greenaway and Robin Spano. I really miss having them here, so it’s a special treat to have them both make a guest appearance and answer this week’s question. 
Robin is the talent behind the Clare Vengel Undercover novels, and she’s currently working on her fourth novel, only she claims to be doing it extremely slowly.
And Rachel’s the author of the awesome B.C. Blues crime...

Getting the bloody thing published and more

By R.J. Harlick
What’s the most important thing a publisher can do for an author?
Publish their book was my immediate thought. With so many authors clamoring at publishers’ doors for publication, getting a yes is a very rare eureka moment for any author, particularly if they have been knocking on publishers’ doors for many years. It is likely the single most important moment for that author. I certainly felt that way when Death’s Golden Whisper was finally accepted for publicatio...

The Publishing Partnership - Brenda Chapman

Question: What's the most important thing a publisher can do for a writer?  

The publisher does many important things for a writer, but if I had to pick one that I'd rate as the most important, I'd say validation not only on a personal level but also in the industry.
Back when my first book was accepted back in 2002, self-publishing was not as prevalent or considered as good an option as it is today. The advice from many was to write the best book you could and to work equally hard at find...

To Prologue or Not to Prologue

Which writing advice tropes do you follow, and which do you ignore in your books and short stories? 

by Paul D. Marks

Before I get to this week’s question: I did a post for SleuthSayers, the other blog that I write for, that’s very personal to me. The post is “Sometimes The Big Sleep Comes Too Soon”. And it’s something a little different. More personal. But something everyone can relate to. Friends. Friendship. Regrets. Mortality. I lost two friends recently, I talk about them there. I don...

Clink!

by Catriona (kind of)

Craft: Which writing advice tropes do you follow and which do you ignore?

Okay first: I'm going to finish my book on Friday. It's Wednesday. On Saturday, I'm setting off on a book tour/road trip en route to Vancouver and Left Coast Crime. And there's something else happening on Friday that I can't talk about (yet).

That's my excuse for what follows.

The worst writing advice I ever hear - and I hear it a lot - goes like this:
2nd draft is 1st draft minus 10%Omit needless words...

You've got to pick a pocket or two... by Cathy Ace

<!--[if gte mso 9]>