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How Much Do Novelists Make? (Part 3 of 3)
(Novelist Norman Mailer during his salad days. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.) Have you heard about the Justine Larbalestier Survey? Justine Larbalestier, a novelist from Down Under, conducted his own...
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My 4 Favorite Columnists in American Media
(Photo: Peggy Noonan) Here are some my favorite American journalists who rarely fail to amaze me with their wit and erudition, powerful prose, and clarity of thought. Peggy Noonan She writes for the...
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How to Pulverize “Writer’s Block”?
I heard people say I'm “lucky” because (knock on wood) I almost never had a “writer's block” throughout my career as a professional writer. But it's not luck really. The truth is much more simple and...
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Book Review – “The Writer’s Rules” by Helen Gurley Brown
Helen Gurley Brown has been a force of nature in the magazine publishing circles for decades. Her name became synonymous with the name and success of the Cosmopolitan magazine as its longtime editor....
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2 Tips for Writing Better Prose
(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons) Tip 1: Vary Your Sentence Length One sure way to put your readers to sleep is to write with constant-length sentences. Change the length for a better copy. SHORT...
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Top 10 Rules of Success for a Young Writer (Part 1 of 3)
Rules 1 and 2 I've been working as a professional writer for almost 20 years now. It’s been a long haul, and fun too. I always enjoyed sitting at my keyboard and click-clicking the keys. Remember that...
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Top 10 Rules of Success for a Young Writer (Part 2 of 3)
Rules 3 – 6 3) Know your heart and your inner voice. WHY are you writing? Money is fine, but what else? What are your beliefs and core values? What is your Truth? The answers to these questions do not...
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Top 10 Rules of Success for a Young Writer (Part 3 of 3)
Rules 7 – 10 7) Repeat after Kenny Rogers: “You got to know when to hold’em; know when to fold’em…” Sometimes we all get stuck on a track that leads to nowhere but for some reason we keep banging our...
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Passive versus Active Voice
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons) You've heard it a thousand times that "passive voice" is bad and "active voice" is good. In general, I also agree with that advice. For example, "I wrote this...
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Don’t Underestimate Your Readers
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons) Don't write what is obvious. Eliminate all redundant words and phrases. Your readers will still get your drift without any over-explanations. EXAMPLE: The judge...
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Do All Writers Write Books?
Do you hear that sound of smacking lips? That’s me trying to get the bad taste of Austin out of my mouth. That sounds really negative, doesn’t it? It wasn’t all bad. I’m just let down. In my previous...
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A Little Encouragement to Keep Writing
I wrote my first book when I was 8 (Glasses for Shelly…really it should be a children’s bestseller, but my illustrations need some help), and from that moment on writing has held a special place in my...
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How Twitter Has Helped My Writing
Twitter has improved my writing…no really it has. It has made me work harder and be more focused on my business. I know Twitter doesn’t seem like an obvious writing aide, but it has helped make a...
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New Internet Talk Show Launches for Indie Authors
Earlier this year, Ozuna Publications, in conjunction with Artist First Radio Network, launched an Internet talk show designed specifically for the independently published author, also known as...
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Freelance Writing Struggles
Sometimes it feels like finding freelance writing gigs is a full time job on its own. I have these grand dreams of having enough gigs to make this writing my full time occupation. I know it will be a...
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