During my 3-mile walk this morning, I listened to an audio of The Right to Write, written and narrated by Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way” and “The Vein of Gold.” What an inspirational walk this turned out to be. The Right to Write (also available in book form) is a series of essays in which Julia “reveals the secrets of […]
Book Talk
Author Reading Dos and Don’ts
On Friday, June 11, thirteen authors participated in an “Author Read-In” sponsored by Friends of the Franklin Library. I was fortunate to be one of the readers. By fortunate I mean, I was able to learn what “not to do” during an author reading as I fumbled through two chapters of my novel in front of a kind and supportive audience. […]
Publication / Think it Real
In his book, Infinite Possibilities, Mike Dooley says, “Manifesting our dreams isn’t about hard work–it’s about belief, expectation, and above all, knowing the truth about our place in the universe.” Dooley’s words are the perfect introduction to an exercise we were asked to perform in my seventh Plug In class with Janet Conner: Visit and fall in love with your book’s neighborhood. Yes, […]
Author Brand / Who Cares?
Authors who want to break into publishing must ask themselves: What kind of people hold the same beliefs, purpose, and energy as I do? What about my work will reside within the hearts and minds of my readers? What about my work will attract partners and support? How will readers respond to my work? In other words, Who […]
J K Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure
At her Harvard commencement speech, “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling offers some powerful, heartening advice to dreamers and overachievers, including one hard-won lesson that she deems “worth more than any qualification I ever earned.” I was so impressed with JK Rowling’s speech, as presented on TED, that I had to share it with you. It is 20 minutes well […]
Writing Tip / Morning Paper
Here’s guest-blogger Dorothy Ann Skarles with a writing tip for generating a scene. When I think of writing a novel, I read the morning newspaper to help me generate and explore quirky ideas, so I can make my characters a little different from the run-of-the mill. It is where my imagination searches for an idea, big or small, […]
