Keep a stockpile of topical material.
Never throw away your accounts of what you’ve experienced; they might be come in handy for something you need to write.
That’s especially true if, like me, you struggle to write larger projects.
I much prefer shorter pieces. Things like a one-or two-paragraph social … Continue reading
If it doesn’t work, all your effort is wasted.
As I prepared to teach on nonfiction books at a writers conference, I had three opportunities to test what I planned to present.
In the previous few days, I’d critiqued two nonfiction samples and one nonfiction book proposal. All three authors missed the point of what a first chapter should accomplish.
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Catch them with your first words.
Don’t be like the writer whose article I recently rejected.
While his brief account reported the event’s facts, he failed to take into account his prospective readers. So he neglected to provide at the start of the article any material to prompt people to want to read it.
I edit the magazine for a specialty organization. While … Continue reading