Ancient History
If you read my blog entitled “Before You Write” which was about how disorganized I was in my early writing days, you know I had a box filled with various…
Before You Write
GET ORGANIZED! PLAN TO STAY ORGANIZED! Someone should benefit from my twenty-plus years of doing everything the hard way. Way back when I started writing novel-length fiction I’ll be the…
Back to “that”
Most publishers have “style sheets” which are guidelines for formatting a manuscript for submission. They also might have editing guidelines, which they will provide once a manuscript is being prepped…
Everyday Poetry -1
Recently, I’ve begun to write poetry. I don’t know where the inspiration comes from, but Dr. Seuss-like rhyming schemes appear in my head in short, quick bursts. If I don’t…
The Cream Rises to the Top
Hop over to the Novelists, Inc. blog and read my “Mark Twain Didn’t Twitter” blog posted on October 15, 2010. I’m sure that will be a popular one, especially since…
Barbara Meyers Career Update 8/26/10
You can see why it’s pointless to offer your ideas to a fiction writer. They’ve already got more ideas than they know what to do with or time to develop.
False Starts – 1
Nothing about me is memorable. I was quite old when I began to realize this. Thirty at least. It’s why waiters in restaurants don’t hear my order although everyone else at the table remembers my requests. Sometimes I think I’m invisible. It used to bother me. I tried to make myself more noticeable. New hair styles. Vivid eye shadows. I wanted to make a statement, but it didn’t work. Finally I resigned myself to the fact that I am imminently forgettable. I blend in with the wallpaper. Big deal.
Editors Lie
? And may I just say, being a best-seller does not always equate to being a great writer. What it means more often is you were the first with a mind-boggling and unique twist on an old idea. Because, as we all know, there are no new ideas.
Writer at War – 4
Get a first draft done so you can type “the end” instead of getting stuck halfway through and never finishing it. You can always go back and fix what you’ve written. But you can’t fix a blank page.
Writer at War – 3
You want to get published? The first rule is, don’t bother writing the book of your heart. Write something’s that commercially viable. If you manage to combine those two and do it well, congratulations. You might become a best-selling author in record time. Or…you might not.