June 2010

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Get Your Buzz On

Many writers have a hard time figuring out what’s different about their work and then expressing this in words. Yet being different is vital in today’s fiction writing world. Buzzuka is a fun, free way to develop and refine your buzz. I enjoyed working my way through the process. Here’s what I came up with: What [...]

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Our Little Black Book of Writing Resources

The Internet is a sea of resources for writers, some reliable, others not so much. The problem is knowing which is which. We keep a running list of our favorite writing resources connected to every aspect of writing, selling and marketing a novel. They’re all vetted for you, so you don’t have to wonder whether [...]

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Stranger Than Fiction

“Where do you get your ideas?” It’s the classic question readers ask authors. Many authors dislike the question because there’s no one answer—they get ideas from literally everywhere. For me, the richest source of ideas is real life. Here’s a fun exercise. Go to your favorite online news site and copy the top six headlines. [...]

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Limbering Up for Novelists

Musicians often limber up by playing music different from what they’re used to. It keeps them fresh, gives them a new perspective on what they’re doing. Novelists can do the same thing–limber up by trying different forms of storytelling. I’ve recently done this, and enjoyed it immensely. Here’s what I tried and how I felt about [...]

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Agent Secrets

In the old days, writers in search of an agent usually began by consulting printed directories—often at public libraries because the directories were so expensive. Not so anymore. Now, thanks to the Internet and some helpful sites, you can conduct an intelligent search on your computer. Begin with three sites that offer detailed information on literary [...]

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