Writing Exercise: The TV Pilot Game
If you're a writer, you've probably heard this piece of advice or discovered it on your own: by the time you finish a draft of your short story or novel, it's important to go back and take a hard look at the beginning.
Why? Because by the time…
What is Flash Fiction?
Definitions abound. I'm going to give you mine. Flash fiction (or micro fiction) is ultra-short fiction, usually under 1000 words. Some publications that specialize in flash might require even fewer words than that (I've seen 750 and even 500…
Great Resource for Book Clubs + My Latest Book Trailer
We're snowbound here in the Northeast. This doesn't matter too much to me since I work from home. Still nice to have an official excuse not to shower or go out. (Not that I need one.)
So I wanted to share two things: a cool find for book club…
Great Source of Kindle eBooks for 99 Cents
Here's a great source of indie Kindle eBooks for 99 cents - bookmark the page.The owner is keeping it updated (and yes, yours truly has several of her books included in the list -- many thanks to Tyler for putting it together).
My latest eBook Short Story for Kindle, Nooks, & More
My January/February 2011 title is available on Kindles, Nooks, iPads (via the FREE Kindle app - the iBookstore remains backlogged through Lulu), and more. You can sideload to any device that accepts ePub files when you buy it off of Lulu (where…
Making the Most of Your Facebook Page
This past September, I launched my author page on Facebook. I'm selling my short stories as eBooks (some of these shorts have been published by print and online journals), and I'm releasing my first novel this summer.
In my day job, I'm a marketing…
A Wish and a Request for the Season
I wasn't planning on doing too much blogging between now and 12/31, but author and former agent Nathan Bransford's "annual blog fundraising goodness" for one of my favorite charities, Heifer International (you'll see I wrote about it on my business…
Why I Was Afraid to Pursue Fiction in Grad School
In Wednesday's post about my MFA reading list, I mentioned that I was on the nonfiction track when I entered Lesley University's creative writing program in 2006. I graduated with a multi-genre thesis (nonfiction and fiction) because I ended…
My MFA in Creative Writing Reading Lists
In Monday's post, I talked about the pros and cons of an MFA in Creative Writing, from my point of view. As I mentioned, I received my MFA from Lesley University in 2008, and one of the best things I got out of the program was the reading lists…
MFA in Creative Writing – Pros & Cons, As I See It
I read an interesting article the other day in Slate Magazine called "MFA vs. NYC: America now has two distinct literary cultures. Which one will last?" It's one of those subjects that's been around since the dawn of MFA programs, although it's…