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Enjoy the Benefits of RoseDog Membership for FREE
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At $24.95 a year, a membership with Rosedog.com is already an outstanding value, but now you can become a member for FREE!
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The Courage of the Gift
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by Janet Lee Carey
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What Do Editors Want?
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by Laura Backes, Write4kids.com
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Teaching Versus Preaching
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by Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com
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Hook Your Readers With Tension
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by Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com
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Writing Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read
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by Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com
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Tips on Selling Your Work to Magazines
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by Laura Backes, Publisher, Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers
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Eliminating Passive Writing
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by Laura Backes, Publisher, Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers
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How Authors Get Paid
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by Laura Backes, Publisher, Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers
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"I don’t think that a person has to have much talent to become a writer. I think it’s more important for a person to have self-discipline."
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Mark Spencer, who won the 1999 Omaha Prize for the Novel with The Weary Motel recalls writing his first novel at the age of 7. To meet his target of 100-pages, he "wrote big and drew a lot of pictures". Mark recalls starting out as a writer and looks at what it takes to succeed.
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"Anyone looking for [a] one-sided relationship is definitely in the wrong place."
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In Part II of her RoseDog interview, Dawn Rosner, editor of Don't Forget to Write! continues her discussion of writing groups—good and bad.
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"...it only makes sense to work together with other writers to hone your skills. You all grow as writers…"
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In their newly published book Don't Forget to Write!, the 6' Ferret Writers Group presents the fruits of 10 years collective experience. In Part I of her email interview with RoseDog, Dawn Rosner, who edited this group effort, responds to key questions about the intrinsic value and challenges of writing groups.
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Good critique can improve our writing and participating in a writing group can provide that sense of community that is often missing in the lonely writer's life. A flourishing writing group can do wonders to improve your writing and to help keep you inspired.
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Leslie Adkins, writer, editor and frequent workshop leader looks at what constitutes good critique in her second article on writing groups.
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Writing fiction that makes sense: using foreshadowing to enhance coherence.
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Author and English professor Mark Spencer discusses the importance of coherence in writing good fiction.
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Kissing Amphibians...
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Novelist and writing teacher Janet Lee Carey believes fairy tales are rarely wrong when it comes to addressing the world of the creative mind. She suggests you "pucker up" to the warty frog if you want to keep the creative juices flowing.
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The Benefits of "Writing in Flow" - Part 2: "Going back to go forward"
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In this second excerpt from her bestselling book "Writing in Flow", Susan K. Perry looks at how some established authors get their creative juices running and offers exercises for inducing flow.
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The Benefits of "Writing in Flow"
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Susan K. Perry, writing consultant, award-winning feature article writer and bestselling author of nonfiction books introduces us to the concept of "flow"— the sense of inspired freedom when a writer's words flow out in a continuous, creative stream. In her groundbreaking book, more than 75 bestselling and award-winning writers reveal their techniques for enhancing their writing creativity and productivity.
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Confessions of an E-author
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Self-published e-author M.J. Rose was snapped up by New York publishers eight months after she began selling her book "Lip Service" online. How did she do it and what advice does she have for other self-published authors?
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"Do you hear any of your characters talking to you, pleading with you to let them be who they are rather than who you need them to be for the sake of the plot?"
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Gloria Kempton, writing coach and author of seven nonfiction books, two novels, and hundreds of short stories and articles discusses how to find your characters' voice.
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"Have the humility to learn your craft..."
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Good advice from Jerry Jellison, reflecting on the experience of seeing in print his first novel Measure of Vengeance.
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Character, setting and plot...
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Lyn Hamilton, author of the archaeological mystery series featuring antiques shop owner Lara McClintoch, reflects on the basic elements of a good mystery novel.
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"There's a secret feeling that every marathon finisher knows when they finally cross that finish line for the first time. You're never quite the same person; you're better… It's the same with getting published…"
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The persistence and stamina of author Christopher Bonn Jonnes will pay off in April 2000 when his first novel Wake Up Dead is published by Salvo Press.
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" The big publishing houses have it all, so don't try to do what they do. You have to make your own path around, because what they do won't work for you." (Part II)
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In the second part of our interview with successful author Natalie Buske Thomas, Natalie finds more proof that self-published authors need to "think outside the box" to get (and keep) their books in the public eye.
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"I started thinking Ok, I guess this isn't going to be as good as I expected..." (Part I)
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Two years after promises to publish her first book Natalie Buske Thomas was still "on hold" and her feet were starting to touch the ground again. Out of her disappointment grew the determination to self-publish that would put her on Oprah's Fall 99 "Reading Café" list. In Part I of this feature, Natalie shares with RoseDog memories of mistakes she made and tricks she learned along the way. If you're considering self-publishing, read, learn and be encouraged.
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Add Snap to Your Writing with Crisp Details
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Editor Sandra Haven looks at some of the basics of using detail effectively to draw and keep the attention your readers—especially when those readers are agents or publishers!
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"Whenever your characters open their mouths, your reader should know just a little bit more about them."
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Gloria Kempton, writing coach and author of seven nonfiction books, two novels, and hundreds of short stories and articles discusses how to achieve "bull's-eye dialogue".
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"It's kind of like being invited to a party. At first you don't want to go, but once you get there and have a couple drinks, you don't want to leave."
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Gail Noble and Mark Morton's first published book together—The End-Closing Words for a Millennium— is likely to be only the beginning. The authors' experience writing their book on the turn of the century proved so successful that Gail and Mark are planning more co-authored titles for the future.
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"..get a good professional editor or advisor and take their advice before wasting time floundering around."
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Carolyn Lipscomb, whose mother is at the center of her first non-fiction title A Widow's Might, reflects on her first-time published experience.
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How Dialogue Can Create Character
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Editor Sandra Haven looks at some of the basics of using effective dialogue in shaping characters.
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"...my words are being read and have escaped the darkness of a filing cabinet."
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Author Carole Lidgold discusses why she finds self-publishing a viable and satisfying option.
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Brush stroke by brush stroke—nothing works, particularly a plot, if the small, vivid, authenticating details are not there.
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Author and English professor Mark Spencer looks at the role of detail in creating good fiction.
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"...writing the book was the easy part. Promo is the hard and most critical part....I think it is incredibly important that new writers understand their role in promoting their book—even major publishers sometimes leave the lion's share of promo work to the author."
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Sandra Brewer, first-time author of Murder for Beltene (from Write Way Publishing) recalls the challenges of getting published for the first time and talks of the role that writing plays in her life.
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"Agents and editors don't read manuscripts to enjoy them; they read solely with the goal of getting through the pile, solely with an eye to dismiss a manuscript—and believe me, they'll look for any reason they can..."
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RoseDog reviews The First Five Pages—A Writer's Guide to Staying out of the Rejection Pile by New York agent Noah Lukeman.
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...it's a tough industry to work in—and I'm confident that if writers worked in this industry, then in no time at all their perspective would change a hundred and eighty degrees.
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RoseDog interviews New York Agent Noah Lukeman, author of The First Five Pages—A Writer's Guide to Staying out of the Rejection Pile
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"...I say without a doubt that the hardest part of the process is getting an agent to even read the manuscript."
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Author Ethel Diamond discusses her writing and the publication of her first book Aristotle Would Have Liked Oprah: Lessons for Living and Other Philosophic Musings (from HCI Books)
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"...find someone with opposing views and give them free rein to write what they feel. If you seek a carbon copy of your own slant and style, you may as well write alone."
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Most writers never consider co-authoring. Even fewer have tried it. For most of us, writing alone is enough of a challenge, let alone writing with another person. But in our new series on co-authoring, we hear many reasons why writing with a partner can be a smart choice for the right people at the right time. In the first of our series, we meet the writing duo Linc Keegan.
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"Stick to your vision, even as you may be surprised in the new ways you find to express it. And remember, there is a world out there. It is not all about you."
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Bill McGuire, first-time author of After the Liberators (from Parkway Publishers) reflects on the role of writing in his life and on his first-time published experience.
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"I don't believe that anyone can fully edit his or her own work. There comes a point when we need outside feedback on our creations. At some point, we must step back and hear what the audience has to say."
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What sort of expectations should you have when starting or joining a writing group and what pitfalls should be avoided? Leslie Adkins, writer, editor and frequent workshop leader explores the value of writing groups in the first of her two-part series.
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