Publications / 323 posts found
How to Get an ISBN Number for a Self-Published Book & Answers to the Top 35 FAQs
Figuring out how to get an ISBN number for a self-published book may sound scary, but it’s actually more simple than many authors think! If you’re self-publishing a printed book, the best action you can take is to get your own ISBN as a self-published author. Regardless if a book was self-published or traditionally published, every printed book needs an ISBN, and securing this number is a big step in your publishing endeavors. But, many writers that are just starting their journey on becoming an author still have a lot of questions around this topic. Questions like… How do you […]
The Why of the Fight: FightWrite™
In this series on how to write fight scenes start to finish, we have looked at what fight scenes can do for your story, how the setting impacts the story and how to find weapons just about everywhere. What I haven’t gone over is truly what I should have written about right out of the gate. The only reason I didn’t is because I thought I had written on this two years ago. But I didn’t and I’m glad because its placement in this series is best. More important than where a fight takes place, what weapons are used or […]
What Is a Lyric Essay in Writing?
I saved the lyric essay for April, because April is poetry month, and the lyric essay is a little more on the poetic and experimental side of creative nonfiction writing. In fact, most places that talk about the lyric essay reference poetry. Does that mean only poets can write the lyric essay? Well, that’s one of the topics we’ll address here. (What Is a Personal Essay in Writing?) In this post, we’re going to look at what a lyric essay is, including what makes it different from other types of essays and when writers may prefer to use this style. […]
2022 April PAD Challenge: Day 1
Here we are with the first day of the 2022 April Poem-A-Day Challenge! Each day, I’ll provide a poetry prompt and a poem to get things started. You can secretly poem along at home, or you can share your poem in the comments below. For today’s prompt, pick a word that begins with F, make it the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. I don’t know if it’s because today is April Fool’s Day, Friday, or just the first day of the challenge, but today really feels like an F type of day. So figure out a […]
How to Write Compelling Personal Essays: 9 Ingredients for Spicing Up Your Writing
“What’s so special about you?” It sounds like a playground taunt. But if you want to write personal essays, it’s the most important question you can ask yourself. When you describe some special moment in your life, no matter how small, it should resonate with others, and in doing so, move them. That’s the writer’s payoff, and the reason most of us spend so many hours at our keyboards. (What Is a Personal Reportage Essay in Writing?) Every day, in person, we tell our stories to friends and co-workers in part to get a reaction from them. Like trying to […]
Plot Twist Story Prompts: Second Life
Plot twist story prompts aren’t meant for the beginning or the end of stories. Rather, they’re for forcing big and small turns in the anticipated trajectory of a story. This is to make it more interesting for the readers and writers alike. Each week, I’ll provide a new prompt to help twist your story. Find last week’s prompt, Jurisdiction Battle, here. Plot Twist Story Prompts: Second Life For today’s prompt, reveal a character’s second life. The second life could be one that’s hidden in their past. For instance, a very serious judge may conceal a dark secret of their past […]
Carole Lawrence: On the Vast Canvas of New York City History
Carole Lawrence is an award-winning novelist, poet, composer, and playwright. In addition to Edinburgh Twilight, Edinburgh Dusk, and Edinburgh Midnight in the Ian Hamilton Mysteries series, she has authored novellas, short stories, and poems―many of them translated internationally. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee for poetry and has won the Euphoria Poetry Prize, the Eve of St. Agnes Poetry Award, the Maxim Mazumdar playwriting prize, the Jerry Jazz Musician award for short fiction, and the Chronogram Literary Fiction Award. Her plays and musicals have been produced in several countries, as well as on NPR; her physics play, Strings, nominated […]
How To Share A Book Manuscript File Safely And Securely
All authors need to share a book manuscript file before publishing a book. You might need to send a copy to your editor, proofreader, beta readers, or a submission to a publisher or literary agent. But you need to be aware that sending your precious manuscript as an email attachment is an unsafe way to do it. Email is insecure, making it easy for unscrupulous actors to steal your manuscript. Manuscript theft is a danger Many authors have fallen prey to manuscript theft. The New York Times reported on a phishing scam that resulted in stealing unpublished book manuscripts. The […]
F.T. Lukens: On When the Writing Flows
F.T. Lukens is the author of In Deeper Waters and five young adult novels published through Interlude Press. Their book The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic was a 2017 Cybils Award finalist in YA Speculative Fiction, the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Winner for YA fiction, the Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction, and on ALA’s 2019 Rainbow Book List. F.T. lives in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats. Visit them at ft-lukens.com. Find them on Twitter and Instagram. F.T. Lukens In this post, F.T. discusses the process of […]
How to Use Patreon as a Freelancer’s Tool
Patreon is the mechanism providing you with an online subscription service where you and your followers meet up and share the same lingo. They receive something creatively unique, and you relish the freedom of creative expression while earning a few dollars. (4 Places for Freelancers to Find Those First Clients.) You’ll find over 200,000 creators on Patreon, and the definition of creativity varies far and wide, with some using it for their primary income, and others as a sideline tool. Become a Patreon Creator You have the option to utilize Patreon as a patron or a creative provider, or both. […]