I have about twenty Hi Susan e-mails waiting for me so thought I’d get to at least one this week. Chloe writes- Is it true that a fiction authors should only write about an experience they’ve gone through themselves? When I started writing, I’d heard that too. My first book was based on my own experience…
Category: Writing How Tos
Monday Motivation-Better Tomorrow
I think this quote could be all about first drafts. Just write, don’t worry about your story being perfect on the first round of writing. Enjoy the process and tell yourself you’re going to be a better writer tomorrow than you were today.
A Review of PDFelement
I’ve never reviewed products here at TWL before but I was recently approached by a company to do just that. So disclaimer up front, I received the product in exchange for an honest review. What is the product and why did I agree to review it and share it with you? It a software program…
It’s Valentine’s Day, Let’s Get Emotional
It’s February14th so let’s talk romance books. Despite being the most popular genre, I know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, I never set out to write one so it’s slightly ironic that the first book I got published was a romance. Writing romances has taught me a lot about writing in general,…
Guest Blogging Time Again
It’s sign up time for another round of guest blogging. I’ve set aside Thursdays, starting Feb 21st, for anyone who wants to share a post on anything writing related. It could be how you plot, how you got published, how you deal with rejection letters…just about anything. Usually under 1,000 words but I’ll leave that up…
Do You Have a Plotting Problem?
I’m teaching a class on plotting a novel and while I was putting together notes for the first lesson, something dawned upon me. I shared it with the students and I thought maybe you’d like to hear it too. I always hear people say their biggest problem is plotting but I don’t think that’s always…
The Bookstore That Travels to You
I thought we’d take a break from writing how to’s and I’d post something fun for you to read. Yes, it’s sort of writing related. I can’t remember where I heard about this traveling bookstore but I knew I had to contact the owner to see if she’d be willing to be interviewed. Say hello…
Hi Susan-Critique Groups, Partners, Beta Readers
This e-mail from Stephanie touched on a topic that I’ve been meaning to post about for some time. Here’s what she wrote… Hi Susan, I keep hearing about critique groups and beta readers. One editor who recently sent me a rejection letter even suggested I find a critique partner? What’s what and which one…
Watching Movies isn’t a Waste of Time…
I should add two words to the title of this post and that’s for writers. Sometimes I know I should be writing but instead I’m searching Netflix and soon I’m watching a movie and time slips away. However, last month I took a different view of time spent away from my writing. I was watching this one movie and…
Hi Susan-I’m In A Catch 22 Situation-Help!
I thought I’d pick a non-fiction question this time and this one was e-mailed to me from Lee. Hi Susan, I’m trying to become a freelance writer but every time I approach a market they ask to see samples of my previous work but I don’t have any. I feel like writing is the ultimate…