I have heard other authors discussing their experience with assistants, and frankly, some of them were horror stories. I wasn't even clear on what an assistant did, much less being able to assess if I needed, or could afford one. When my friend, Susan Squires, raved about a new assistant she hired, Kelly Oakes, I […]

Angela Ackerman NaNoWriMo season is almost here, a time when Plotters and Pantsers set aside their differences to chase a common goal: pounding out a 50K novel in 30 days. If this is your first time, fear not. It can be done! And while pantsers everywhere may start screaming (Can you hear the lambs, Clarisse?) […]

Spring is the time “when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love,” but in autumn, writers dream of contract offers. With the summer contract season over, and many authors “on submission” with agents and publishers alike, the delights—and dangers—of publishing contracts gain an important focus at this time of year. One of the […]

by Shannon Donnelly I’ve been thinking a lot about story endings, probably because I’m getting close to one in the book I’m working on. But also we watched 2 Guns the other day and it has a fabulous mirror from the beginning to ending—that mirror technique where the last scene echoes the opening scene, but […]

  Today I'm shaking my Cowbell about social media, with an emphasis on your profiles. Those header graphics and text are one of the biggest tools in your arsenal to catch people's eyes. [I just heard some of you writers groan: More social media?! Didn't Fae give us permission yesterday to just write?] I know, I know. I’ve […]