Learning Dog Tricks Made Me a Calmer Person

Writer, Cindy Zikmund talks about the words, “leave it”, and how they can be of benefit in our life. While practicing the dog trick, Leave It, with my five-year old pup, I unexpectedly learned to regulate my own impulsive reactions and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  During a live internet broadcast about

Nail That First Line!

Laura Drake talks about why the first line of a book is important. Stephen King reflected on the magnitude of a novel’s introductory sentence. “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story,” he said. “It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” Preach it, Steve.  I’m not

Contests & Awards for Writers

Have you ever gone down a rabbit hole looking for contests and awards to submit your written work to? Carolyn Niethammer has compiled a list to help you on your research journey.

Advanced Craft Tips

Laura Drake discusses points relating to the difference between a good writer and a popular writer. I do a lot of critiquing. As I get better at the craft, I’m starting to catch the nuances of good writing; things beyond the basics of POV, show don’t tell, etc. They’re subtler and harder to spot, but

Audiobooks Sell

An insight into the production and marketing surrounding audiobooks from guest bloggers Marcia and Jory Rosen. The audiobook market is one of the fastest-growing segments of the publishing industry. According to the Audio Publishers Association, it grew an estimated 24.5% from 2017 to 2018.This included self-published authors and small publishers who access numerous marketing actions

Write

Do You Really Need Social Media?

Why Most Authors Don’t Need Social Media in 2022 When authors think about promoting their book, their minds usually go directly to one method of promotion: social media. But social media networks change so quickly. The advice you received at a writers conference in 2019 doesn’t necessarily work in 2022. Even the best social media

The Stories Maps Can Tell

Guest Blogger, Vicki Felmlee’s Research Leads to a Treasure Trove of Information. How often have you, as a writer, had an idea or a theory about something and after diving into old journals, maps, and newspaper articles you discover you were right, that “Eureka!” moment.  About 10 years ago I was researching the historic (pre-1850)

Choosing a Book Title

Anne R. Allen’s blog discussion: 5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Book Title in the Internet Age. I’ve blogged before with tips on choosing a book title, but recently I’ve become aware of a few other things we need to consider in the age of online bookselling. I ruminated about titles over the holidays, when

Power Up Women Podcast Interview

Anne Doyle, the host of the Power Up Women podcast, sat down for a visit with Women Writing the West president, Betsy Randolph. Listen in on their conversation. Have you ever fantasized about the American West? I have, as have millions from all over the world. So many that there is now a genre of literature, “The