So you’ve written the next great American novel. Now what?
The sad fact is that most people who write novels or nonfiction books will never have them published, and it often has nothing to do with the actual quality of writing. You can just send out your manuscript willy-nilly. Well, you can, but the chances of it ever getting read are slim to none. You need a complete submission package, and this package has to be impressive. Some companies won’t even consider a submission unless it is done properly.
So what do you need? Every agent is different (so is every publisher …read more

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
Arghhhh. I’ll never finish this d**n book! At least it almost feels that way. This morning when I started I had about 30 pages to go. Now hours and hours later I’ve still got 16 pages to go. It keeps growing! I’ve gone from a 20,000 word count a week or two ago to over 31,000 – yikes that’s a lot of writing. I didn’t realize I’d done that much!
But it all needs to be done! The book is better for it. Pant pant pant. I feel like I’m chasing these last few pages.
Oh well, back at it.
Write well and …read more

I’ve heard writing teachers say it, and I’ve heard magazine editors say it: “Throw out the first three paragraphs!”
What in the world are they talking about?
The truth is, even for professionals, the first couple of paragraphs, if you’re writing an article, or even the first chapter if you’re writing a book, is likely to be dreck. I’m not sure why. It’s almost as if the mind has to warm up somehow, maybe by writing some semi-coherent sentences, or even a full paragraph or three or four before the good writing kicks in. I know it often works this way …read more

Are you afraid to get your book written? That’s such a rude question! Yet I find probably one out of every four or five people who contact me about getting a book written are actually so afraid of the project it never happens.
My own experience with fear says that the sooner I face it the better. I suspect the same thing is true when it comes to writing books. If you honestly take a look at your fear and discover what it’s all about, you’re likely to be able to let it go and get your book written.
I’ve written an …read more