Yet another Twitter (or X, if you prefer) post asking about paying for a manuscript edit before querying and whether it (a) makes the story better and/or (b) increases your chances of landing an agent. Way back when (and I remember those days because I’m old), you could send a manuscript off to an agent and, if they saw potential
Because this subject has blown up recently, and I have feelings about it. I’ve never read a book with a playlist printed in it. I doubt I read the kinds of books and/or authors that would feel compelled to include a playlist. So… yeah. There’s something somewhat juvenile about that, something that (to me) screams “newbie author.” High school mix
The house we moved into after our first child was born was haunted. We didn’t know it when we bought it, but it became clear not long after. It was a split-level ranch, which on its own probably should have alerted us. When you walked through the front door, one flight of steps to the right went up and another
I have been informed by my teens that proper punctuation in texts is seen as passive-aggressive. Sadly, I simply cannot stop myself from typing full words and using punctuation (unless I’m trying to be funny). So, while I acknowledge my feels on these may be old-fashioned, and understand that the point of any communication is to get one’s meaning across,
We have once again arrived at the time of year where we reflect, usually in the form of lists. Best of, worst of, etc. I’m doing all that on my YouTube channel with the books I read this year, so be sure to check it out. But over here I’m going to look at 2023 in terms of my writing.
I’ve stopped writing. I’ve felt this way before, but never quite so much this way as I do now. And after some bad news this morning, it felt like confirmation that it’s time for me to stop. When I look at my list of accomplishments, I’m grateful for each of them. At the same time, I no longer seem to
Two thirds of the year are done, which feels like a fair benchmark for stopping to examine how this year has gone for me in terms of sales and page reads. Though, to be clear, I have to say that these numbers will only include Amazon (ebooks) and Ingram (print sales). I am slowly rolling content out to other sites
I really love sharing my fan fiction with the world. I’ve received more love and validation from the various fan communities for which I write than I have for my original works. I suppose that is to be expected; it’s easier to capture existing fans than create new ones. That’s one reason Hollywood is so focused on existing IP over
I have complicated feelings about the WGA strike. As a writer, I probably shouldn’t. As a would-be screenwriter, I almost certainly shouldn’t. But that “would-be” is key. The film industry is notoriously difficult to break into. I’ve written scripts that got great coverage, and one that has won an award. I’ve had scripts optioned… and then go nowhere. Which is
Although the year is not quite over, it’s about time to start wrapping things up and examining what worked, what didn’t, and how to move forward. I intend to do this in bits and pieces by looking at different aspects of my life through the year. Naturally, I’ll start with my writing. Releases It’s difficult to believe I actually started