I thought those of you writing crime fiction might like to know about this email I just got from North American Review: This email is to inform you of North …
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1 Crazy Strange Writing Tip for #1ThTH
One of my favorite writing books is John Garner's The Art of Fiction. But in looking for it this morning to read once again, as I do so often, the chapter on …
Micah Perks: Here’s to Mad Persistence!
Micah Perks won an NEA grant and The New Guard Machigonne Fiction prize for excerpts of her new novel, What Becomes Us, which is out this week and which …
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#1ThTH – Reputable Fiction and Novel Contests
This week's 1 Thing Thursday: Consider entering a contest! I finally got traction for my first novel, The Language of Light, when, after it had been turned down …
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How Many Words Long Should a Novel Be?
This week's 1 Thing Thursday asks the question: How Long should a novel be? As the chart below shows, the range in huge, and the honest answer is: as long as it …
Kurt Vonnegut on Story Structure
For today's 1 Thing Thursday, I offer you a charmingly funny little four minute video of Kurt Vonnegut talking about story structure, with a big thanks to my …
#1ThTh – Find Where Your Readers Gather on Social Media
I decided when I was traveling to add what I hope will be a regular feature here on 1st Books, which I'm calling 1 Thing Thursday (#1ThTh). The idea: share each …
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15 Quotes on War from Journalists and Others
Since today is the 71st anniversary of the End of WWII, I've put together some quotes on war -- and women journalists' experiences of it -- together here with …
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17 Social Media Tips for Authors and Others
What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet? This post again updates one I did two years ago–a generation or more in social media right? Info comes …
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In Praise of Writing Friends
When I first started this blog, I wrote a post (run with an adorable slideshow my editor made with her baby daughter) on how important my writing friends were …
