Should You Ever Write for Free?
You hope to write professionally, which means getting paid for what you write. So should you ever write for free?
I sure hope so.
Disclaimer: I’ve worked for a publication that paid writers well. I’ve worked for a company that paid a token amount (for one-time rights for blog material.) But now I work for an all-volunteer organization whose … Continue reading
Don’t clog your lines with double attribution.
The author didn’t realize she was wasting words whenever her characters spoke.
In nearly every instance, she provided not only a dialogue tag, “Christina said,” but also a “beat” or “action tag,” a phrase describing what the character did as she spoke.
Consider this double attribution line:
“I’m so sorry,” Christina said, … Continue reading
A writers conference may be just what you need.
This past week, a literary agent vented his frustrations about the submissions he’d reviewed that morning. Though the writers assumed they were ready for the Big Leagues, their responses betrayed serious shortcomings.
They lacked a basic understanding of not only the vocabulary, but also the expectations of professional publishing. Without that foundation, … Continue reading