Want to know the most stupid movie cliché? It’s the whimsical writer character who’s secretly poured their heart and soul into a book* that they’re too afraid to let anyone read. As the movie plods towards its happy ending, the writer finally finds the courage they need to send their book to a publisher**. TheyContinue reading “Done and done”
Category Archives: Advanced/Publication
Turtle Publishing
No, it’s not a hip new publishing company – it’s a comment on the industry. Now sometimes publishers are slow because they simply can’t make up their minds (one of my books has been with a major Australian publisher for two and a half years, and that’s way beyond normal). But most of the timeContinue reading “Turtle Publishing”
Death of “Traditional” publishing?
A whole lot of people point to success stories like the self-published Amanda Hocking and say, “Hah! Those cold-hearted publisher types are dying, and we laugh at them and stomp on their graves!” These people are stupid. I often wish publishers were more cold-hearted. They’d get through submissions way faster if that were the case.Continue reading “Death of “Traditional” publishing?”
Dialogue
Want to write good dialogue? This article at Ripping Ozzie Reads has links to so much information you can go back to it every week for a year. Dynamic Dialogue Last week Rita asked about ‘beats’ in dialogue. This was a term I had only seen used in plays or scripts when the author leavesContinue reading “Dialogue”
Ten Reasons to Rewrite that Scene
By The Intern. The article is here. Top Ten Reasons You Should Rewrite That Scene When you’re revising a novel, it’s easy to lose objectivitybecome so delusional you can’t tell if you’ve just created a stinking mountain of goat poop or written the next Grapes of Wrath. Each scene starts to read like aContinue reading “Ten Reasons to Rewrite that Scene”
Revise, but don’t re-use or recycle
I’m pretty sure I’ve linked to ex-agent Nathan Bransford before. (Incidentally, he’s just released a children’s book.) Here’s today’s article – a revision checklist, which I’m posting today as I re-re-re-re-revise my steampunk novel (I printed it out in hard cover, which always makes me see the book slightly differently, and thus more clearly). –Continue reading “Revise, but don’t re-use or recycle”
Why your first book sucks
I follow Rachelle Gardner‘s blog. She is a sweet, selfless literary agent*. I was quietly surprised to see her post on four reasons you shouldn’t even bother submitting the first novel you write. Given that, shortly afterwards, she posted an entry that mentioned her gentle surprise at meeting many writers who don’t even read books in their own genre,Continue reading “Why your first book sucks”
Don’t have contacts in the biz? Don’t worry
Last year I spent a bunch of moolah and time schmoozing across Australia, and I ended up with personal contact (handshakes, names, cards) with staff from four of Australia’s six big publishers. I now have enough data to tell you what those contacts mean to me so far: *drum roll* Drastically longer response time. I am personallyContinue reading “Don’t have contacts in the biz? Don’t worry”
In the beginnings. . .
Time to hide in your box, quivering in terror. Today we’ll be visiting the Pub Rants blog (“pub” as in “publication”, you lush) for the bad news about beginnings: 99.9% are rubbish. You can tell an experienced writer because they don’t bat an eye when someone says, “Send me the first two hundred words ofContinue reading “In the beginnings. . .”
How To Talk English, Like, More Gooder
If you watch TV, you’ll know that people are dumb. As a writer, you don’t want to alienate the slavering masses of humanity, so here’s ten ways to make absolutely sure you come across as a complete idiot in your writing (interspersed with steampunk gadgets). 1. Use “like”, “totally”, and “you know” as much as possible! AlsoContinue reading “How To Talk English, Like, More Gooder”
Writing tips for when the book is written
Today’s awesomeness is getting given a GIANT CANISTER OF LOLLIES AND CHOCOLATE at the end of my final lesson with a student who just finished Year Twelve. It was high quality, too – jelly belly jelly beans, liquer chocolates and other wonderfulness. All the wrapped chocolates had their labels on them, which shows extraordinary thoughtfulnessContinue reading “Writing tips for when the book is written”
What publishers do with your book
Today’s awesomeness is #209: Share your knowledge. Which I’m doing by posting this. First, let’s make something very clear: Publishers do a lot of work. They might earn a steadier income than you or I (there’s perhaps a dozen in Australia genuinely doing well), but they work just as hard and love books just asContinue reading “What publishers do with your book”