Add a Listing for a chance to win a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate! Click here to learn how!

Articles

Anthony Metivier's picture

The answer to the question of whether or not screenwriters and novelists need help from a third party is yes and no. Or no and yes, depending on your preference. Believe it or not, Christopher Nolan's new film Inception suggests that the answer is usually yes. When Cobb, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, says that when we dream we are creating and perceiving the dream simultaneously, he reveals a fundamental insight regarding the creative process. Just as we create and perceive as we dream, we simultaneously create and perceive as we write.

4
Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)
ktelega's picture

Writing is a solitary activity, which makes it ideal for introverts and people with agoraphobia. Writing for a living is anything but. How do we make the leap from in your study, to in your face? Time and again I hear people on this site complaining about the business aspect of writing. We'll always face agents who don't appreciate our work, and publishers who only do a minimum of promoting for first time authors.

2.666665
Your rating: None Average: 2.7 (3 votes)
jimmagwood's picture

Surely Pearl Buck and James Patterson didn’t have these problems, did they?

“I can’t think of what to write. I’m stuck.” Sound familiar? Some call it writer’s block. Some call it *****. Whatever – it’s a problem.

“I think my manuscript is okay, but how can I be sure?” Somebody, somewhere has an answer for this, right?

How can I get an agent to respond? Aren’t there any out there who are really looking for manuscripts?” Yes, there are – maybe. But finding one… Another story.

4
Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)
mjnickum's picture

I’ve written book reviews and used book reviews in my profession as a Public Services Librarian for over 25 years. Many of us use book reviews when deciding to purchase a book for ourselves or someone else. There are various publications that include book reviews, including local newspapers, magazines, and dedicated publications, such as Library Journal and the Kirkus Review. We must recognize the difference between reviews and flyers or catalogs. Flyers and catalogs sent by publishers and distribution houses, such as Book-of-the-Month Club, are not reviews.

5
Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)
mjnickum's picture

Does criticism by other writers really help? The short answer is yes, it can. How can criticism by other writers, especially those that don’t write the same kind of articles I do, help me? Read on…

First of all, you won’t just be criticized; you’ll get some praise too. While feedback from other writers as focused as you can be frustrating and exhilarating, there’s a flip side. You will have to return the favor. How? Read on…

4
Your rating: None Average: 4 (2 votes)
matsonhahn's picture

By all accounts of the BUZZ at the Book Expo America (BEA) in May, reports of the Publishing Industry’s demise is greatly exaggerated. For four frothy days at the NYC Javits Center, BEA showcased a panel of publishing CEO’s, a gaggle of Celebrity Authors (Fergy, Jon Stewart, Barbara Streisand), seminars on Digital Technology and Self-Publishing, and acres of booths featuring everything related to books. As an aspiring novelist, I took a gander to get a feel for the industry and found it: Robust.

0
Your rating: None
mjnickum's picture

Children’s magazines? You may not have considered writing for the children’s magazine market, but perhaps you should. Children’s magazines are growing in number, especially with the addition of the e-zine, which seems to be particularly attractive to our “tech-savvy” young ones. A comprehensive list of over 600 children’s magazines is available from The Writer’s Institute Publications, Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers 2010.

0
Your rating: None
ktelega's picture

10. Don’t: Try to build your website on your own. HTML is not for Dummies!
9. Do: Find a writers’ support group that meets at Dunkin Donuts
8. Do: Learn as much as you can about prospective agents without stalking them
7. Don’t: Use plywood to build your platform – 2X4’s are the industry standard
6. Don’t: Query an agent who has his home office in rural Idaho
5. Don’t: Attempt to network by asking an author to introduce you to their editor
4. Do: Offer your opinion whenever possible to any other new writer foolish enough to ask it

3.857145
Your rating: None Average: 3.9 (7 votes)
stevew's picture

I have recently started to read newspapers... properly.

When I say, 'properly,' what I mean is this; I read them as in more than as a reader - More as an editor, or proof reader.

Where I live, we are lucky in the fact that we get two 'free' newspapers shoved through our letter-boxes every week. (I once wrote an article, and submitted it to one of these newspapers - Only to get it rejected.)

Some of the stories I read in both newspapers, seem to be; 'page-fillers,' stories about nothing - No substance, or interest. But then, these newspapers are 'free.'

3.25
Your rating: None Average: 3.3 (4 votes)
stevew's picture

When we write any Genre of Fiction, we need to keep it as real as possible.
Sometimes writers tend to loose grip. What I mean by this is simply that the writer fails to do what I consider, Basic Homework, and give a little more thought to the characters, the geographical locations, time frames and so on...
I have read some books, and I have asked myself, 'Wow, is he still alive - How can that be possible?'

3.6
Your rating: None Average: 3.6 (5 votes)