You’ve probably seen this meme before. And apparently there is merchandise too! I’ve always laughed at this, but it became somewhat of a more serious discussion in my life recently when two friends expressed their concerns that I would write about them (wait, does the fact that I’m writing this blog post mean I’m writing about — Read More
Tag: stephen king
Writing without a goal
People told me that once I published a book, I’d have to be careful not to let “the industry” distract me from my love of writing for the sake of writing. I didn’t think this would be a problem for me, but it has been. Before publishing a book, I wrote the stories I wanted to — Read More
The daunting outline
When you want to get your first novel published, you have to submit the entire manuscript for consideration. Nonfiction is different in that you can get a book deal based on a detailed proposal. I always envied this. But, now, as I’m working on pitches for various ideas for my second novel, I’m realizing the difficulties. — Read More
Publishing Journey: Royalties
In a book contract, the royalties section comes right after the advance section. They go hand in hand. The advance is the money you get in advance of the book being published. Royalties are monies you get after the book is published. The advance is paid “against your earnings,” meaning you don’t start getting royalty payments until — Read More
On rejection
If someone told me they wanted to be a writer, I would say, “Ok, I hope you’re good with rejection.” It’s funny how writers are some of the most sensitive people and publishing is such a harsh, brutally blunt industry. Some fun facts: Robert M. Pirsig received 121 rejections of his book Zen and the Art — Read More
On reading (and why the book must not die)
I saw an article in my Facebook feed the other day titled, “Science Shows Something Surprising About People Who Still Read Fiction.” The “surprising” thing is that those readers have better relationships (you can read the article here), but I was more stuck on the title. STILL read fiction? The “still” makes it sound like reading fiction — Read More
Oh, booze.
**BOOK UPDATE** My novel is out in the world again, searching for a publishing house to call home. Wish it luck. On another note, who feels like a drink? Thanks to Shortlist.com, I got to know the drinking habits of some famous authors. If you are too lazy to click on the link (after all, — Read More
Daily routines of famous writers, part 2
I’m weirdly fascinated when I read about the daily routines of writers. I guess I’m curious to see if my routines are similar or different. I’m looking for the key to writing a good novel. I always come to the same conclusion: there is no magical ritual, there is no one way to write. Still, — Read More
22 tips from Stephen King
As one of the most successful and prolific writers that’s ever lived, I’d say Stephen King is a pretty good source for tips. Source: Business Insider (My thoughts in italics) 1. Stop watching television. Instead, read as much as possible. If you’re just starting out as a writer, your television should be the first thing — Read More
On opening sentences
Most of the books and stories I’ve written have been inspired by a single line. I’ll get that first line in my head and roll it around for a few weeks or months, then I start writing. More often than not, the first line changes from what it was initially, but the original line is — Read More