how do I get published
Thoughts for authors of fantasy fiction
I thought I might pose some thoughts for fantasy authors to help them create a new fantasy world as the setting for their novel.
Writing Your Novel’s Premise
Writing a strong premise before you begin working on story structure (if you are a plotter) or just starting to write (if you are a panster) is important for a number of reasons. First, it will help you bring the idea for your story to life, and it is one of the foundational steps in … Read more
Self-Pub, Indie-Pub, or Big 5? Part 6
Continuing our discussion of the three potential paths to publishing your novel, today we will talk about the difference between those paths, specifically focusing on contracting with one of the Big 5 publishers. See earlier posts for the similarities. Later posts will focus on contracting with independent presses, and self-publishing. When you sign a contract … Read more
You’ve Been Writing That Novel for How Long?
How long? I expect that some of you will be pissed off at me by the end of this post. I am okay with that. Not because I want you to be pissed off at me, but because I want you to be the best writer you can be. Recently, over coffee with a fabulous … Read more
Brainstorming Characters
Last week we considered the question of What If with regard to creating complex characters. I thought it would be good to push the Muse a bit more and continue with the What If conceptidea to help us brainstorm our book ideas. You can use What If to create characters and plot. You can also use What If to … Read more
Unprofessional Horror Stories
I’ve been talking about writing as a business for the last few weeks, and for those of you in the back row mumbling about my topic of choice, I have a tiny bit of banter left, and next week we move on to something you might actually want to read. Okay? But, for now, I thought … Read more
More on Business, Oh My!
Social Media Primer I know that you don’t want to hear this, this whole writing is a business topic. Really. I do. It is important, though, and so I am going to continue on before I return to my regularly scheduled topics. As I mentioned last week, publishing is a business, and you, the writer, … Read more
A Little Bit O’ Business
I know you’ve been working diligently. You’ve been writing new book ideas down on cocktail napkins in between bites of spinach-artichoke dip. Or maybe you hid in the closet with a flashlight and your laptop in order to knock out your story premise while your in-laws napped on the couch. However you got your writing … Read more