November 22, 2022
Thanks to the Chicago Writers Association
by Samantha Hoffman
Since it’s Thanksgiving time I’m going to take this opportunity to be a little sappy and tell you how thankful I am to be part of the Chicago Writers Association.
I met Randy Richardson, CWA president, in 2012 at a romance writers conference. No, neither of us writes romance. The conference was called something innocuous like ABC Writers Conference, so we had no idea. Since we were the…
November 15, 2022
Starting From Scratch, Number 3 of 7 Tips
by Annie McCormick
As you know if you've read my previous posts (Tip Number 1 and Tip Number 2) my goal is to be an agented author, i.e. a writer who has an agent who sells the books that I struggle to write. It's a career change for me and just…
November 8, 2022
Creating Unforgettable Characters
by Kristin Oakley
Unforgettable characters resonate with readers and lead to more book sales. How can you create a protagonist who’s unforgettable? At the Chicago Writers Association’s Let’s Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference next March, I’ll teach a workshop on just that. In the meantime, here are some pointers.
First, ask…
November 1, 2022
What is Success to a Writer?
by Samantha Hoffman
As writers we all have our definition of success. Mine might not be the same as yours and vice versa. How we judge others is probably not how they judge themselves.
I don't know how anyone could say that Alison Hammer is not a successful author; she has two…
October 18, 2022
Starting From Scratch, Number 2 of 7 Tips
by Annie McCormick
Let’s keep the conversation going about the things you can do to keep the ground solid beneath your feet as you make a career switch to agented author.
As I mentioned last month in Starting from Scratch, Number 1 of 7 Tips, I am putting some practical tips in…
October 11, 2022
The Importance of a Developmental Edit
by Kristin Oakley
When I go to writing conferences I’m amazed at the number of writers who don’t know what a developmental edit is. In fact, many aren't aware at all of the various types of editing available and when you need them. I'm also amazed that some published authors have never had…
October 4, 2022
Just Because We Can, Should We?
by Samantha Hoffman
As an author, the thing we do best is write; we create believable, three dimensional characters; we tell an engaging story; we connect with the reader's emotions, and we pull the reader into the world we've constructed. This is what we do best.
In today's publishing world we have the…
September 27, 2022
Starting from Scratch, Number 1 of 7 Tips
by Annie McCormick
Let’s talk about how you keep the ground solid beneath your feet while you reach for the stars and make a career shift to agented author. Talking about practicalities in the same sentence as passion will likely put a kink in my karma, but I speak from experience.
The list…
September 20, 2022
Is Self-Promotion a Dirty Word?
by Samantha Hoffman
What's the one thing authors hate more than searching for an agent? Self-promotion. It's the dirtiest hyphenated word in the English language.
It's mortifying and demeaning; we feel we're imposing; we fear people will think us arrogant, self-important, full of ourselves.
If we don't promote our own work, though, how…
September 13, 2022
How to Build Your Email List
by Kristin Oakley
In my article Why You Need a Newsletter I gave six reasons why newsletters are essential for writers. Building relationships with your readers is the number one reason. If you have a strong connection with your fans, not only will they buy your books, they'll also recommend your books…
