Category: Writing/Publishing

Looking for Story Inspiration and Overcoming Writer’s Block

The ever-elusive story idea. What’s gonna hit? What’s worth exploring? For some, story ideas flow like a never-ending stream, while for others, new ideas are as hard to come by as toilet paper in a pandemic. I’ve occasionally found myself on both sides of this coin and am here to share some tips on how … Continue reading Looking for Story Inspiration and Overcoming Writer’s Block →

PitMad Tips and Strategies | Twitter Pitch Events

With the last PitMad of 2020 coming up on December 3rd, I thought I’d share my latest tips, tricks, strategies, magic spells, and general thoughts on how to get results for this and other Twitter pitch events--and things you can take away from PitMad even if you don’t get that coveted agent like. What is … Continue reading PitMad Tips and Strategies | Twitter Pitch Events →

A Penguin Eats a Boy Named Simon | Also, Free Stuff

Well, it looks like the Big Five might soon be the Big Four. I woke up to the not-so-awesome news that I’m sure you’ve heard about already: Penguin Random House is slated to acquire Simon & Schuster. Rather, its parent company Bertelsmann, which bought S&S for $2.2 billion. As far as I know, there's no … Continue reading A Penguin Eats a Boy Named Simon | Also, Free Stuff →

Tory’s 300 Word New Year’s Eve Writing Contest

I just wanted to make a quick post to let my blog subscribers know I've created a new Contests page, and the first writing contest is now live! Submit 300 words of your best prose and win one of many prizes, including random drawings. All genres accepted! Click here for submission guidelines, prize details, and … Continue reading Tory’s 300 Word New Year’s Eve Writing Contest →

2021 Market Trends in Book Publishing | My Unqualified Speculation

IT GOES without saying that this has been a tumultuous, tragic, and terrifying year, and to writers hoping for a publishing contract, or book lovers looking for their ravenous thirst to be quenched, it begs the question: What will publishing trends look like in 2021? Will it be a year of rom-coms, slapstick comedy, and … Continue reading 2021 Market Trends in Book Publishing | My Unqualified Speculation →

It’s a Small World Till a Loved One is Murdered | Guest Post by Kyle Anthony

In dark inner city basements. In sinkholes and caves and shallow graves. In ditches, riverbends, lakes, and streams.  In fifty-five-gallon drums filled with concrete. In ashes. All over the world, perhaps not far from where you sit reading, bones lie undiscovered. Searches have long been called off, the grieving mostly—if not completely—forgotten. Mothers, fathers, wives, … Continue reading It’s a Small World Till a Loved One is Murdered | Guest Post by Kyle Anthony →

Inciting Incident vs. Call to Adventure | A Clarification

I WANT to talk about the difference between the inciting incident and the call to adventure in a novel. Recently there’s been a lot of discussion on ye olde Twitter about whether or not you should start your story in the midst of action and how long you should hold off before introducing the inciting … Continue reading Inciting Incident vs. Call to Adventure | A Clarification →

The Secret to Self-Publishing Success?

FOR THE past six months, I’ve been searching for the secret to self-publishing success. I’ve listened to hours and hours of podcast interviews with full-time self-publishers, watched webinars hosted by authors who sell coaching services, and read several How To books on the topic. I started noticing a pattern early on, and now I want … Continue reading The Secret to Self-Publishing Success? →