Poems, eh? Poems. And when I say they poured out of me, I quite literally mean it. I’m almost embarrassed to say how quickly this collection came to fruition. Why, though? Why miss horror writer are you writing poems? Why not? I...I guess I needed to pour my soul onto the page. Maybe, deep down, … Continue reading Why the Wet Water?
Month: January 2020
All First-Person Protagonists are Writers
DO YOU ever think about that? There’s an exception, of course: novels presented as transcribed verbal storytelling, like Stephen King’s Dolores Claiborne. For the most part, though, all first-person protagonists are writers. That’s not to say the character necessarily identifies as a writer within the time frame of the story, but whatever they experienced in … Continue reading All First-Person Protagonists are Writers
Writing Community or Writing Crowded Street?
I DON’T mean to add to the bitterness and despair of the Writing Community, but I have a bone to pick with this place. I’m starting to think it’s no community at all but rather a crowded street where the best interactions feel like calling out across the crowd and the average interaction is getting … Continue reading Writing Community or Writing Crowded Street?
What if It Happens to You? | A Portrait of a Querying Writer
YOU'RE READY. You believe this is the book. Your synopsis is just right. Your query letter could hook a person who doesn't even read. You've generated a list of agents who represent your genre, a balance of high-profile presidents of the agency to senior agents to associate agents. You send out a batch of queries. … Continue reading What if It Happens to You? | A Portrait of a Querying Writer
My Favorite Twitter Poet | Book Recommendation
I'VE BEEN reading John R. Hinton's poetry ever since I joined the Writing Community on Twitter. You might have read some, too, because this guy TWEETS IN POETRY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY. Now he's released his first collection, BLACKBIRD SONGS. It's a refreshing thing to come across in the endless sea of writer's lifts, What's Your Character's … Continue reading My Favorite Twitter Poet | Book Recommendation
The Right Idea and Its Perfect Execution
WHAT IS the secret to writing a successful book? Well, first we have to define successful. For the sake of this discussion, let’s say it’s a book that gets you an agent, a major publishing contract, remarkable sales, and ultimately a lifelong career as an author. Is there a formula for success in the publishing … Continue reading The Right Idea and Its Perfect Execution
Want a Free Query Letter Critique? Read This.
A COUPLE weeks ago, I put out a tweet offering to do a round of free query letter critiques, with the option to tip if you're happy with the feedback and you have the means to do so. I still have a small queue of queries in my inbox, but from now on I'll be … Continue reading Want a Free Query Letter Critique? Read This.
I Read Dozens of Manuscripts in 2019 | Here’s What I Learned
I'VE BEEN reflecting on all the unpublished manuscripts I read and critiqued in 2019, ranging from sci-fi to high fantasy to detective procedural to YA romance to literary efforts that don't fit into a genre category. Despite the range of styles and writing quality, if you were to take my critiques of all these books … Continue reading I Read Dozens of Manuscripts in 2019 | Here’s What I Learned
My Goals for 2020
THIS IS the first post I've made on this dusty ol' blog in quite some time. If you don't know, I took a long hiatus from social media to deal with a mountain of personal issues and to get my life back in order. Things worked out, the year ended on several high notes, and … Continue reading My Goals for 2020
