A Writer’s Life

social media

How Much to Share Online

With everyone going so crazy over social media today, many have legitimate questions about “how much is too much.” How do you share information and conversation on your blog, Facebook, and Twitter while still having personal and professional boundaries? I’ve noticed two separate issues with this: 1. The professional aspect. What if you’ve queried 150…
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One thing at a time

What’s on Your Sticky Note?

We all have our daily challenges, and I think most of us have certain things we struggle with over and over. My biggest day-to-day difficulty is the sheer number of things that need to get done. Sometimes the to-do list is so long, I get paralyzed. So I have a sticky note right by my computer. It…
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Rejected

Think YOU Don’t Like Pass Letters?

Neither do I. Here’s a look at some that have hit my inbox: “It’s not clear who the intended audience really is.” “It felt like a class research paper at times.” “I like the plot and hate the execution.” “The setup has so much potential for conflict, yet the story is dull.” “The content and…
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tightrope

Dreams and Reality

Recently I was corresponding with a client whose book is fairly edgy and in some ways, counter-cultural. He knows I totally believe in him and his book, but in this one email I used some cautious language. I told him we were “walking a tricky line” trying to find the right publisher for the book—one who…
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Quotes for Writers

This quote is specifically about screenwriting, but applies to novelists as well. Literary talent is not enough. If you cannot tell a story, all those beautiful images and subtleties of dialogue that you spent months and months perfecting waste the paper they’re written on. What we create for the world, what it demands of us,…
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step class

Excuses, Excuses

As many of you know, I make it a priority to get enough exercise. It doesn’t always come easy (sometimes I slack off) but I try to find ways to motivate myself. Unfortunately my mind is always full of all the reasons I “can’t” exercise. I have way too much work to do.  My family…
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Moore-LoneRanger

The Myth of the Lone Ranger Author

As more and more people venture into self publishing, I’ve noticed that for many, it’s a rude awakening how much help they actually need even though they’re thinking of it as a DIY project. I think that’s because, with traditional publishing, most writers are somewhat shielded from the number of people whose work touches their…
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First Things First

(Repost) If you’re a writer, here’s what I want to ask you today: Are you getting ahead of yourself? There are seasons in a writer’s life: Seasons for focusing on the art and craft of writing, and seasons for focusing on the business of writing. And seasons where it’s appropriate to do both. If you’re a…
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Cozumel palm tree

Be Here Now

(Updated re-post) I’m still musing over the vacation I took last month with my family. It felt like a magical time of connecting with my daughters and husband, totally “away” from the Internet and the phone and the office. I admit I find it challenging, but I was intentional in my efforts to stay unplugged…
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The Gift of Insecurity

I frequently field phone calls from clients who are going through a rough patch in their frame of mind. It turns out being a contracted and published author doesn’t automatically fill you with self-confidence and unending affection for your own work. Who knew?
The reality is that the publishing journey is fraught with emotional land mines—dealing with the editorial process, reading your reviews, settling on just the right idea for that next book—that can make you feel insecure and like a fraud.
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Are We Having Fun Yet?

I’m taking a blogging break this week. Hope you enjoy this post from my archives. I received a letter from a writer who said that one of the great joys of his life was creating ideas and playing around with characters in fantastic worlds. But when he decided to try transferring these thoughts into stories,…
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Write Your Truth

I’m taking a blogging break this week. Hope you enjoy this post from my archives. “Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to…
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This Is Where the Rubber Meets the Road

I’m taking a blogging break this week. Hope you enjoy this post from my archives. When I decided to become a literary agent, I received advice from several wise people who knew what I was getting into. They told me it would be a steep learning curve, it would be challenging to build my business…
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Difficult Conversations, Part 1

“This book isn’t going to work.” I know many of you worry that agents gossip about writers behind the scenes. I don’t find this to be true, but what I’ve found is that agents often commiserate with each other about the hard parts of the job (like people in any kind of job). And one…
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