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Creative Writing Blog, Articles, News, and MoreThis 'Creative Writing Blog' is utilitarian, meant to show at a glance what's new to the site. If something strikes me, I write a short note about it. If I add a page
to the site, or update existing pages, they're all listed here. All the creative writing tips and articles remain here until they are bumped off by newer items, so checking back regularly
will keep you up to date on changes, and permanent articles can always be found through the sitemap or internal links. Every time I update the Creative Writing Contests page the link shows up here, and this is also where I add some of the tidbits that I post on Twitter. While this is primarily a blog about writing fiction, I also post time sensitive book news or author announcements that I don't want to turn into permanent web pages
because the information or opportunity is likely to change. For more creative writing news and information, follow me on Twitter. Please help Be-a-Better-Writer.com Grow. Link to this page or click below to LIKE it and share this no-frills creative writing blog with your friends: If you have an RSS reader, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed at the bottom of the left column for automatic updates whenever I add something new. Return from the Creative Writing Blog to the Home page February 2nd Book Giveaway: Man & Other Natural Disasters
Simon Peters, a recluse full of half-cocked theories on every subject from heart-broken shrimp to the Jungian consciousness of DNA, meets Minerva, a twenty-two-year-old business major whose ghostly resemblance to Simon’s dead sister compels him to reveal the horrific natural disasters that killed each of Simon’s family members, one by one.
But parts of Simon’s story do not add up. When he finds Minerva passed out and bleeding on his bathroom floor, he must conquer the tyranny of his own memory and confront what really happened that summer of 1962. But the truth, when uncovered, proves no less astonishing than the original tale.
Based on real historical events, Man & Other Natural Disasters is a testament to the power of story in a world too often shaken by forces outside our control: nature, terrorism, death—even love. Of all the planet has yet to throw at us, the question remains: can we recover from the worst natural disaster yet—ourselves?
For your chance to win this book, visit: http://www.bookclubbuddy.com/2012/02/man-other-natural-disasters-by-nerys-parry/ Jan 27, 2012 Amy Einhorn publisher of The Help by Kathryn Stockett
My agent sent me the link to this article about Amy Einhorn, publisher of "The Help" and several other bestsellers.
The article chronicles the editor's upward climb from her first $13,000 a year job as an assistant at Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
“If you needed a new pencil you’d have to go down to the supply room and there was this little woman Rose who was like four feet tall and you’d say you needed a new pencil,” Ms. Einhorn remembered. “She’d say, ‘Come show me your pencil.’ You’d show her and she’d say, ‘You still have two inches left. You can’t get a new one.’”
These and other details provide fascinating insight into the business.
Also, it's easy to understand why editors have to be so selective in choosing amongst the many novels submitted to them. As my agent, Denise Bukowski, puts it, "once you have hit the big time, your bosses expect you to do it every time, and better, which tends to make you extremely selective. Editors would rather buy nothing than buy a book that fails."
Most importantly, I feel, is what Ms. Einhorn has to say about the submissions:
“I need to be able to convince you in thirty seconds of speaking to make you want to read the book,” she said. She said she received around 1,000 submissions in her first year at the imprint, and does not spend much time on manuscripts that do not draw her in from the first page. “I’d worked at places where we’d published some incredibly beautiful line-by-line novels but there was this sort of MFA navel-gazing aspect to them and they didn’t sell, so I knew I didn’t want to do that.” Jan 26, 2012 January 26th Book Giveaway: On Toby's TermsBookClubBuddy.com January 26th Book Giveaway ~ On Toby's Terms by Charmaine Hammond.
On Toby’s Terms, by Charmaine Hammond, chronicles Toby’s journey from incorrigible to incredible. Toby, is a Chesapeake Bay retriever, adopted at age five, from an animal shelter.
Soon after Toby entered the life and home of Charmaine and her husband Chris, Toby proved to be a holy terror who routinely opened and emptied the hall closet, turned on water taps, pulled and ate things from the bookshelves, sat for hours on end in the sink, and spent his days rampaging through the house, destroying everything in his path.
Oddest of all was his penchant for locking himself in the bathroom, and then pushing the lid of the toilet off the tank, smashing it to pieces. After a particularly disastrous encounter with the knife-block in the kitchen, and when the couple discovered Toby’s bloody paw prints on the phone, they decided Toby needed professional help.
For your chance to win this book, visit Getting 2 Know Charmaine Hammond Jan 24, 2012 Creative Writing PromptsThese interactive creative writing prompts with photographs stimulate creativity and are fun to use for private or classroom use. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Creative Writing Prompts" Jan 24, 2012 ALBERTANS YOUR BOOK AS A BUSINESS COURSE~ ALBERTANS YOUR BOOK AS A BUSINESS COURSE The Ultimate Systematic Approach to Sell Your Book
MARCH 1, 2012
In less than two years Charmaine has written four books (3 published by Bettie Youngs Books), developed a number of products for the corporations she serves as a professional speaker and trainer, and has one book in development to become a major motion picture.
The secret? She treated her book as a business and she will show you how you can too! Jan 24, 2012 Why is it important not to overuse names in dialogue?Why is it important not to overuse names in dialogue? ANSWER You haven't provided your name, so I will make one up and call you Jess. Well, Jess, to Permalink -- click for full blog post "Why is it important not to overuse names in dialogue?" Jan 24, 2012 When A Story Isn't ShortHi Pearl! Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you on putting such a fantastic web resource together. I wrote for a free press in high school and I completed Permalink -- click for full blog post "When A Story Isn't Short" Jan 22, 2012 Plot in FictionA better plot makes better fiction. Learn to plot your stories. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Plot in Fiction" Jan 19, 2012 Readers: Win Lorri Neilsen Glenn's new book
Lorri Neilsen Glenn, author of Threading Light: Explorations in Loss and Poetry, answers two questions for BookClubBuddy.com.
Lorri Neilsen Glenn grew up in Western Canada in several small railway towns, and moved to Nova Scotia in 1983. She began writing as a freelance journalist, became an academic, and turned to writing poetry at age 50. Her recent books include Lost Gospels (Brick, 2010) and Combustion (Brick, 2007). Lorri’s award-winning creative nonfiction and poetry have appeared in such as Grain, Arc, The Malahat Review, and Prairie Fire. She is the editor of several books including an anthology about mothers of the 1950s, forthcoming from Guernica Editions in 2013.
Former Halifax Poet Laureate (2005-2009), Lorri has taught poetry and creative nonfiction in Ireland, Europe, Australia, Chile, and most provinces of Canada. (A Greek retreat for writers is planned for spring, 2012). Lorri lives and works in Halifax.
Each week BookClubBuddy.com highlights one author and gives away either a book or an Amazon gift certificate in a random draw from registered readers.
REGISTER for your chance to win and to learn of new books and authors you may not otherwise hear about. Jan 19, 2012 Creative Writing Contests and CompetitionsCreative writing contests and competitions with big cash prizes like the ones below can provide a real step up for writers. Writing competitions can jumpstart a career. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Creative Writing Contests and Competitions" Jan 18, 2012 Character Name Generator - Create Interesting and Plausible Character NamesThe automated character name generator is a simple tool that makes choosing character names quick, fun, and easy. Jan 18, 2012 Readers: Win The Unsettled by Mona Fertig
Mona Fertig, author of The Unsettled, answers two questions for BookClubBuddy.com. Her sensual collection of poetry is the giveaway for the week of January 12th to January 18th.
Mona Fertig lives on Salt Spring Island, BC where she and her husband, Peter Haase, own and operate Mother Tongue Publishing.
Mona is very active on the literary scene and is often the driving force behind events. She was born in Vancouver,BC, and attended Vancouver School of Art. In 1978, she founded The Literary Storefront, a salon style literary center in downtown Vancouver, which became home to the first BC office of The Writers' Union of Canada.
She has published 14 books and chapbooks of poetry and has given readings from Vancouver to Newfoundland, New York to San Francisco.
She has been a bookseller, founding member of the B.C. Federation of Writers, the Feminist Caucus-League of Canadian Poets, the B.C. Book Prize Committee. She has been the B.C. Rep for P.E.N. Canada, BC/Yukon Rep for The Writers' Union of Canada and has sat on many literary juries.
Each week BookClubBuddy.com highlights one author and gives away either a book or an Amazon gift certificate in a random draw from registered readers. REGISTER for your chance to win and to learn of new books and authors you may not otherwise hear about. Jan 18, 2012 Self Publishing Timeline 2011
This 2011 Self Publishing Historical Timeline is a fascinating overview highlighting the main events in self publishing over the past year.
Also very illuminating is this article, which provides many interesting facts: Self Publishing Facts
For example:
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