James Preston In Back to the Future, Marty McFly's mother's kid brother asks "What's a re-run?" Marty replies, "You'll find out." Pop quiz: What was on TV when Marty said that? I am old enough to remember that if I missed an episode of "77 Sunset Strip" (BTW if in your mind you heard the […]

Chuck Sambuchino [To celebrate the September 2015 release of his two books, the updated 2016 Guide to Literary Agents and his new life-saving humor book When Clowns Attack: A Survival Guide, Chuck is giving away a free copy of both to random commenters (US or Canada addresses only). Comment below by September 30, 2015 for […]

 Susan Spann Anthologies offer a great opportunity for writers to publish their works and find new readers. Some anthologies feature works by authors from a specific group - for example, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, writers’ conferences, and local and regional writers’ groups. Other anthologies offer open (or limited) submissions for stories in specific genres […]

Sonja Yoerg The act of writing is an exercise in managing symbols. Every word, after all, is attached to a universe of meaning; the bit we formally agree upon is the definition. Everything else a word signifies exists in a web of personal memory, experience and emotion. If I write “moon,” your brain lights up […]

Barbara Claypole White I’ve always been comfortable in my own skin, and yet I’m a hot mess of insecurity about everything I write, including this blog post. Why? Because it matters to me. Writing is my passion, which makes it a soft target for that inner voice of worry. Doubt has been my constant companion […]