Articles

Recent Articles | Other Articles by our regular contributors | Writing Focus | Links by Genre | Columns

Two new articles by our Writer in Residence, Paul Saevig:

“The dilemma of the amateur poet” By Paul Grainger.

Experiences of a First-Time Novelist By Paul Grainger.

How Long Should Your Story Be? by Lee Masterson. One common question asked by many writers is: “How long should my story be?” The simplest answer is: As long as it takes to tell the whole story.

What Price Vanity?: Sally Quilford tells us how to recognise a vanity publisher.

Beating Writer’s Block: “Understanding a little about why you’re blocked now might just help you to avoid becoming blocked again in the future.” Lee Masterson looks at how to find your own personal ‘block-breaker’.

Another One Bites the Dust: Sharon Maria Bidwell considers the plight of small press.

Productive Workshopping: Whether writing for love or a paycheck, any steady writer experiences a phase in which his/her writing isn’t quite making the grade or goals. This can be an excellent time to consider workshopping to jump the hurdle and take your writing to the next level. L. J. Bothell considers a few things you should look for to get the most out of your workshopping experience.

Things to do to Avoid Writing: Katie Gould takes a wry look at the things authors find to do to avoid writing.

A new article by our ‘Writer in Residence’ Paul Saevig, ‘Choosing Your Training as a Writer’: or ‘How To Evaluate Teachings on Writing For Your Own Best Interest’, looks at the problems the plethora of guidance can create.

Writer Wellness: A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity presents five cornerstones for organizing a creative life: journal writing, exercise, relaxation, nutrition, and creative play flow together to show a writer how to spend a few minutes each day to create a new existence. By Joy Held.

How Many Characters and How to Decide: Populating Your Story or Novel By Paul Saevig

The Curse of the Most Recent: How to Turn It into a Blessing By Paul Saevig

Their, They’re, Deer! Its Going to Be Allrite (Or, Have You Hugged Your Editor Today?) by Beth Brooks.

Keys to Characterisation: by Louise Bliss. For many established writers, certainly those of literary fiction, characterisation is key: characters essentially drive the plot. In fact, good characterisation can transform an average plot into a great story.

The Essentials of a Good Writer: Sangeetha Rajesh considers the qualities needed to be a top-flight journalist.

 

Looking Over The Writer’s Shoulder: “The storyteller becomes bound by his own decisions; he must follow one chosen route from beginning to end.” A new article by Paul Grainger looks at the writing process from the perspective of the writer and the reader.

 

On Writing for the Self: Carly Svamvour asks whether it is important to write for yourself or for your reader?

The Eternal Controvery of Good and Bad Writing: There are almost as many versions of what good fiction is as there are writers – not to mention readers, teachers, professors, lecturers, editors, publishers, reviewers and agents. Yet each one has valid points. Paul Saevig considers them and sees if they all connect to one idea.

“I Write Only For Myself”: – A Wise Philosophy? Paul Saevig, our ‘writer in residence’, questions the validity of writing to please oneself.

Relax then Revise:How do best-selling authors turn potential rejection into certain publication? Find out in an article by Keith Manos.

The Market Place: Christina Johnson finds more places to sell your poetry.

Fiction Fundamentals: Linda Adams discusses clichés and how to avoid them.

Formatting Your Manuscript By Linda Adams

How Not to Get Published by Phyllis Jean Green

On Being a Writer by Paul Grainger

Short Sharp Snap by Jessica Wright

Bringing Your Characters to Life by Jessica Wright

Software for Writers by John Ravenscroft

Plotting Your Novel By Lee Masterson

Does fiction writing have rules? By Paul Grainger

Abstraction and Ambiguity in the Lyrics of Leonard Cohen: Jeffrey Side considers how ambiguity in general is an important function of poetry.

Gifts for Your Career: 10 Things Writers Can Give Themselves for a Prosperous 2002 by Melissa Brewer

Restoring Faith in Your Freelance Writing Business by Melissa Brewer

Fun and Games in the Year 2002: Writing for the Gaming Industry by Melissa Brewer

Creating Memorable Characters by Lee Masterson. Before you begin your new story, take a little time to create fresh new characters that are your own.

How To Write A Novel: A Simple Procedure to Follow: Paul Saevig, our writer in residence, provides the direction and encouragement new and unpublished authors need when beginning to write a novel, in twenty easy to follow steps.

How To Improve Your Dialogue: Make It Effective and Realistic – another excellent article from our writer in residence, Paul Saevig.

Publicity is the Author’s Job Too: Nicholas Corder discusses the role authors should play in publicising their work but quite often don’t. Nicholas has published articles in The New Writer.

Two new articles from Paul Grainger: Making Sense of Poetry and What is Literary Criticism?.

Shannah Biondine – Better Characters: Dressing From the Outside In.

Rusty Fischer
The Author of BEYOND THE BOOKSTORE Reveals Five (Other) Places to Sell Your Self-Published Book

Paul Grainger
Growing Pains: takes a look at why many writers’ groups in the UK are closing.

Paul Saevig
Writer’s Block: Some thoughts on that common malady of writers — block, by our writer in residence.

Mary Cox-Bilz
How to Promote, Advertise, and Market your Book: Excerpts are taken from ‘How to Promote, Advertise, and Market your Published Book’, co-authored by Arline Chase and Mary Cox-Bilz, released August 2001.

Lily Iona MacKenzie
Writers Be(a)ware!

Shannah Biondine
Point of View

Zoe King
Where is your Writing Going?

Lynda Finn
Explore Your Money Making Potential

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Other Articles by our regular contributors

 


Rusty Fischer
Success with Signature Lines: Your Virtual Business Card!
eBook Promotion Made eEasy!
Slicing Up More Profits by Cutting Up Your eBook! 
Marketing Myth Exposed: You DON’T Need a Website to Promote Your eBook! 
Deadline Details
Email Etiquette
News Flash
‘Expert Advice’ 
Writing for a Book Packager
Season’s Greetings

Paul Grainger

Writing Criticism for the General Reader
Which Way Poetry
For Whom Am I Writing?

Karen Scott
Non-Fiction Tips
Fiction on the Web
Getting Started

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If you would like to send us an article, email: beth@author-network.com

 

 


Writing Focus


Better Characters: Dressing From the Outside In
Books for Writers
Bringing Your Characters to Life
Checklist Critique
Copyright
Creating Memorable Characters
Creative Writing Courses
Critique Service
Deadline Details
Does fiction writing have rules?
eBook Promotion Made eEasy!
Email Etiquette
Essentials of a Good Writer
‘Expert Advice’ 
Explore Your Money Making Potential
Fiction on the Internet
Five (Other) Places to Sell Your Self-Published Book
Formatting Your Manuscript
For Whom Am I Writing?
General Information
Getting Started
Gifts for Your Career: 10 Things Writers Can Give Themselves for a Prosperous 2002
Growing Pains: takes a look at why many writers’ groups in the UK are closing
How Not to Get Published
How To Improve Your Dialogue: Make It Effective and Realistic
How to Promote, Advertise, and Market your Book
How to Understand and Cope with Rejection
How to Write
How To Write A Novel: A Simple Procedure to Follow:
How to Write A Short Story
Keys to Characterisation
Literature Festivals
Looking over the Writer’s Shoulder
Making Sense of Poetry
Marketing Myth Exposed: You DON’T Need a Website to Promote Your eBook! Marketing and Promotion
Marketing your book
News Flash
Non Fiction Tips
On Being a Writer
Plotting Your Novel
Point of View
Publicity is the Author’s Job Too:
Restoring Faith in Your Freelance Writing Business
Romance Q&A’s
Slicing Up More Profits by Cutting Up Your eBook! 
Software for Writers
Search Engines: How to Search Effectively
Season’s Greetings
Success with Signature Lines
What is Literary Criticism?
Where is your Writing Going? 
Which Way Poetry
Writers Be(a)ware!
Writer’s Block
Writers’ Circles
The Writer’s Conference
Writing Criticism for the General Reader
Writing for a Book Packager
Writing for the Gaming Industry
Writing a synopsis and query letter
Writing Columns

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Links by Genre


Article Writing
Children’s 
Comedy
Content Sites
Crime 
Freelance 
General Links
Poetry
Horror 
Non Fiction
Romance
Scifi
Script/Screenwriting
Short Story
Travel
UK Resources

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If you know of a resource that could be listed here, email: beth@author-network.com

 


Columns


Linda Adams – Fiction Fundamentals Columnist

Formatting Your Manuscript – You’ve just finished your novel and are ready to submit it. But before you do, take advantage of an overlooked marketing tool: Manuscript format.

Clichés and how to avoid them – A cliché, in its strictest definition, is a timeworn phrase like “a stitch in time saves nine.” So how do you avoid action clichés in your own writing?

Can Someone Steal My Idea? – One of the very first questions a beginning writer wonders is if someone can steal their idea.

Why do I Need a Sample Copy? – If you look at magazine guidelines, you’ll see they offer sample copies of an issue. Many, in fact, specifically ask writers to purchase a copy before submitting anything. But is it worth the expense?

First Person vs. Third Person – Many writers have their own preferences of whether they write in first person or third person. Often writers tend to gravitate to what they are either familiar or comfortable with, and they never experiment outside of this comfort zone. But maybe you should.

John Ravenscroft

Ideas in the Mist – John Ravenscroft continues to chart the progress of his first novel.

A Novel Idea – Our new fiction columnist devotes his first series of columns to recording the highs and lows of his ongoing struggle to move from initial thoughts to completed book as he attempts to write his first novel. Other columns in the series include: Ideas in the Mist – The Charged ImageBewitched by the Things She CarriesWriting Sexy: Fae and Peter Get Close and Personal and A Tortoise Amongst Hares.

Christina L. Johnson

The Market Place – Places to sell your poetry. In the first issue our markets columnist, Christina L. Johnson, will be covering poetry magazines from New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, and England. Also visit Poetry Corner for news and information.

The Market Place: Christina Johnson finds more places to sell your poetry.

The Market Place: Even more places to sell your poetry! A regular column by Christina L. Johnson.

Lee Masterson

Plotting your Novel

Editing Made Easy

10 Ways to Increase Your Productivity

Writing the Perfect Query Letter

Writing Dazzling Dialogue

The Secret Formula for Writing a Best-Selling Novel

Rusty Fischer

Favorite Freelance Writing Web Sites

Wired Words for a Wired World – Freelancing on the Information Superhighway. Rusty Fischer, the author of Freedom to Freelance, reveals how to get the most out of a simple email to an editor.

Pamela Thibodeaux

The Writer’s Conference – why all writers should attend writer’s conferences.

Battle on the New Frontier – Print vs. Web…why must it be a battle?

Feeding the Dream To Finish or Not? – Is it REALLY an Option?

 

Success – Fact or Fantasy?

I’m So Frustrated I Could Weep! – the role of editing in the writing process.

How Do You Get There? – how to get through those difficult scenes or chapters in her column.

Shane DeRolf

Confessions of a Creative Professional

Black Expressions 4 books for $2 plus free gift