I joined Goodreads as a digital way to keep track of the books I read. Over time, it has grown to a community where I chat with like-minded bibliophiles who love books, words, and anything related. Here are some of the activities I pursue on Goodreads: Chat with those who read the same book There … Continue reading
Few people can sit down and start writing. Most of us hem and haw as we mentally walk through how to get from introduction to conclusion. It’s called ‘prewriting’ and everyone does it. What differs is the method–what best suits our communication style? Here are four approaches I’ve seen work for writer friends: Brainstorm/Mindmap Brainstorming, also … Continue reading
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a celebration of the belief that there’s a story inside each of us; we just need a way to share it. NaNoWriMo asks participants to pen (or type) 50,000 words during the month of November–the first draft of the novel they always promised to write. If they succeed, they get the … Continue reading
Do you hear that? A mix of jungle drums and Jaws music, equal parts menace and madness? It starts every October, in your fingers as a tingle, travels up your arms, into your belly, and washes over your five senses like hot lava from Krakatoa.You try to fight it, act like there’s nothing wrong, but … Continue reading
Every year, thousands of people jump into the massive time commitment called NaNoWriMo. They vow to write 50,000 words by November 30th at midnight. Few make it, but many benefit. Here are some tips to help you if you’ve chosen to participate: Each day, write until your mind throbs like a thumb hit with a … Continue reading
Originally posted on Dianne Gray author:
This morning I received an email from Amazon. I’m not a US citizen, nor do I have a U.S. bank account and U.S. social security number – but I’m sure many of you out there do, so take a peek at this. ******* Dear Author, Thanks for subscribing to receive…
It’s that time of year again–for the fourth year. Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards (a cozy ABNA to us repeaters) is taking submittals starting January 23th and ending when they get 5,000 or Feb. 5th–whichever arrives first . In the world of writing contests, there are a few details that set this one apart: There is … Continue reading
Well, readers, it’s that time of the year again! Write To Done is gathering nominations for their Top Ten Blogs for Writers Contest, and if you believe that WordDreams should be on the list this year, please visit this page and leave your nomination in the comments section. Be sure to do the following when … Continue reading
I had a busy weekend. ABNA is taking entrants starting today. I had to go through all 400 pages of my book (I got it down to 399). I looked for technical stuff, grammar and spelling, egregious plotting errors (I found my main character chatting in a scene she wasn’t in–I fixed that) because that’s … Continue reading
I’ve entered a lot of writers contests over the years. They’re always a leap of faith. You have to invest the fee, the cost of postage and the time required to prepare in hopes that your writing will coincide with what the judges want and a more accomplished author doesn’t decide to enter. I entered … Continue reading
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