I recently received a notification from WordPress congratulating me on the anniversary of my blog. As of June, it’s been around for 5 years! That might be a long time to some, or a short time depending on how you measure things, but in either case, it’s enough to learn a lesson or two, so …
When you start out in the writing community, you’re learning, and part of that process is seeing those before you rise. Just as you’re entering the query trenches, there are others being lifted out of them with agent representation and publishing deals, and you wait patiently for the day that person will be you. Before …
So, my book has been out for a month now. It's the first and only book I've ever published, so I figured that made me perfectly qualified to give out advice… just kidding. I am in no way at all a book publisher extraordinaire after one release. I doubt I'd be one after twenty, but …
Continue reading 5 Lessons Learned After Releasing My First Book
As a writer who has spent the last few years drafting a four book YA series, I thought I’d gained a good grasp on how to write. I’d ironed out the head hopping that embarrassingly featured way too much in my first drafts. I’d mastered ending each chapter with a cliffhanger. And I’d worked out …
If you’re a writer who has typed “The End” on a manuscript, you know it’s just the beginning. There’s still the second draft. Endless edits. Incorporating beta feedback. Re-writing whole sections. Adding or dropping characters. At least five (or more) other drafts—and that’s before you look for agents, tackle the dreaded synopsis, or prepare to …
Continue reading Signs You’re Ready To Move Onto A New Manuscript
“Keep your prose active.” It’s one of the most well-known pieces of writing advice and one of the most frustrating. Sometimes when writing, especially when you’re first starting out, you have no idea what words are making your prose non-active. You’re just writing, using the words that sound right. It’s not until you see the difference creating an …
A few weeks ago I received a rejection letter from a publisher. This wasn’t the first rejection letter I’d received (far from it), nor was it different from any of the other rejection letters I’ve been sent or seen posted by other writers. There was the usual, it’s not you, it’s me, and the non-committal …
A year ago today I launched my blog, so for this week’s post, I thought I’d give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who reads, comments, and follows me on my weekly ramblings about my own writing journey and the writing tips and advice I’ve learned along the way. I really do appreciate that anyone …
So you’ve finally done it. Written a book after hours at the keyboard, filling in plot holes, shedding tears, drinking cups of tea, and fending off self-doubt. You’ve even made it through beta readers who questioned your genius and still found typos. Your book is perfect, and more than ready to be snapped up by …
Continue reading 4 Amateur Writing Mistakes To Stop Making Right Now
K.M. Allan 