Author Mentor Match (AMM) is a free program that matches published or soon-to-be-published authors with unagented writers in a mentorship relationship. I learned about it this year and decided to give it a try. Round 7 This year was Round 7 for the volunteer-driven AMM. It included middle-grade (MG), young…
I’m currently reading Writing the Fiction Series by Karen S. Wiesner. This accomplished author has written 136 books over 22 years. This includes 16 series, which makes it clear why she is an authority on writing series. What follows is not a book review, but rather, insights I gained from…
On my down days, I sometimes wonder if I’m too old to publish the novels I’m writing. I know self-publishing is an option, but the lure of traditional publishing is strong for me. School Years I’ve wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember. In elementary…
Opportunities for writers to gain recognition prior to publication abound in the form of awards and competitions. Being selected for an award provides an endorsement that carries value when approaching agents about representation of the book. Unpublished writers should investigate organizations in their genre and geographic area for possible competitions.…
Word offers two tools that every writer should know: FIND and FIND AND REPLACE. Each feature can improve the quality and efficiency of writing. Both are especially helpful during the editing/revision process. FIND One of my favorite ways of using the FIND feature is to type in each of the…