Beyond Writing: Helpful Sites for Authors
Writing and publishing are more than just words on paper or in electronic files. Books often involve legal questions, marketing plans, and social media networking.
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Memoir and the Art of Memory
In every memoir and personal essay class I teach, one anxiety-arousing subject always comes up: How can I be sure this is true? Students ask the question. The question calls for conversation, and I usually begin that conversation with a larger question: Why are you writing a memoir?
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I'm Self-Publishing: Do I Really Need a Copyeditor and/or Proofreader? What the Heck Am I Paying for, Anyway?
These days, with so many options for writers to self-publish and when even established publishing houses are suffering cutbacks in editorial staff, it's more important than ever to make sure you have the editorial backup to bring your book up to professional standards.
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Memoir: Do I Use Their Real Names?
You can't very well write about your life without writing about the people in your life.
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What Makes a Good Story?
Everyone loves a good story. We all know one when we read one. But what makes a good story?
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Writing the First Sentence
When you fill a blank page with your first sentence it can feel like a minor miracle. From nothing: something. From too many ideas about how to begin your essay, novel, nonfiction book, you home in on one and make your initial authorial decision. You may change that first sentence dozens of times, but by...
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The Personal Statement: for College Admissions and So Much More
Personal statements are now de rigueur not only for college and graduate school admissions but also for grants, scholarships, fellowships, and some jobs. There are even stories of house sales lost in bidding wars for want of an appealing letter to the sellers. As a college essay expert, I have helped high school seniors find...
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How to Get Unstuck When Writing
These Write Angles pieces are supposed to offer advice about writing. It was my turn to contribute a piece and I debated the subject. Should I write about how to write memorable characters or good dialogue? Give advice on writing a memoir, or discuss what makes a compelling story? After getting up from my desk...
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The Perfect Title for Your Book
I happen to know the most perfect book title ever, but there's one problem: I didn't think it up myself, and the person who did is a friend. She won't let me use it because she believes she's going to write a book to go with it. Meanwhile, this perfect title sits in limbo while...
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The Unplugged Writer: Take a Writing Retreat Day
I asked myself: What is it about going away that makes my writing so productive? The answer was this: No one knows where I am. When I went away to write, I was unplugged.
