Lynette Eason's Aspiring Romantic-suspense Network

Edie here. Lynette is a very close friend of mine, but beyond that she's a genius when it comes to mentoring others in the world of writing. So when she told me about this program she was starting, I insisted she write me a post so I could share the opportunity with you all!  

by Lynette Eason @LynetteEason

Hi Friends, thanks for letting me stop in today and share something I’m kind of excited about. I’ve been thinking long and hard about developing a program that helps writers grow in the craft of writing romantic suspense. As you know, no matter where you are on your journey to publication, writing is HARD. It can often be lonely. And, often, you just don’t know what you don’t know. As a result, I’ve developed the LEARN Program.

Lynette Eason’s Aspiring Romantic-suspense Network 

(My hubby came up with that and I liked it! J)

Author Income Diversification

by Susan U. Neal RN, MBA, MHS @SusanNealYoga

Income diversification is prudent in any business. Writing is a business. As an author, there are many facets to obtain multiple streams of income including, book and digital product sales, articles, courses, coaching, and speaking. 

The Art of Self-Editing Part 1

by Henry McLaughlin @RiverBendSagas

Part of my call as a writer is to help others through coaching, mentoring, teaching, and editing. One thing I’ve learned in my writing and in helping other writers is the vital importance of learning to self-edit. Someone said, and I can’t remember whom, “The heart of writing is re-writing.” 

Narrowing Your Reading Audience—Spec Fic Style!

by Ralene Burke @RaleneB

I love Christian fiction. Really, I do. But when I sit down to read, more often then not, I want to get lost in new worlds and go on grand adventures and meet new kinds of people. We don’t often see much of that in the normal Christian fiction.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Grammar for Writers—Tenses Make Me Tense

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

Does your writing suffer from irregular tenses? Consistent tense is essential for the health of your manuscript and protects your reader and editor from timeline whiplash.

Literary Leftovers, Critique Groups, and a Matter of POV

by @AneMulligan

Years ago when I first started writing, I'd never heard of POV and had no idea what it even meant. Show don't tell?? Why can’t I use a plethora of adverbs? Omniscient is something God is. 

Answers to Some of the Questions Authors Ask—Help Pirates!

by Traci Tyne Hilton @TraciTyneHilton

#4 In a series where I answer questions I suspect you are asking

Indie Author:

I’ve been robbed! Google told me my book is free on a site and I KNOW that’s where all of my sales are going! I would have been rich if it hadn’t been for this site stealing my intellectual property! What can I do? How do I fix it? Is all hope gone? Can I sue them? Can I call the police? Can I speak to the manager?

Deep breath.

It’s going to be okay.

Writing So They Can’t Put it Down

by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

It was a fast read.”

In the beginning, hearing the words, “It’s a fast read,” almost made me feel a little sick. Was it a primer? Too elementary? But no. It was quiet the opposite. Being a fast read was one of the highest compliments I could have been paid. To have a reader pick up my book and continue to be so enthralled they couldn’t put it down, was a pat on the back.

A New Year & A New Column for Writers

Edie here. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have Ralene Burke joining us here on The Write Conversation. She's an amazing spec fiction author and has a heart to help other writers. I know you will be as blessed as I am to have her here. Be sure to give her a warm TWC welcome!

A New Year & A New Column for Writers
by Ralene Burke @RaleneB

Happy New Year, writers! My name is Ralene Burke, and I am the Marketing Director for Realm Makers (more on that in a minute). I am so thrilled that Edie invited us to have a monthly column on The Write Conversation. I have so many exciting things to share with you in the coming months—writing tips, special guests, and more—all having to do with some aspect of the growing genre of speculative fiction.

7 Ways to Use Bookmarks for Marketing Your Book

by Karen Whiting @KarenHWhiting

Bookmarks are inexpensive and make great marketing tools. Each one is a blank canvas that you design to showcase you, your books, and your brand or services. Plan the content carefully to get the best mileage out of it. That can vary depending on how you will use the bookmarks.

Answers to Some of the Questions Authors Ask—Aren’t All Indie Books Bad?

by Traci Tyne Hilton @TraciTyneHilton

#2 in a series where I answer questions I suspect you are asking. Below is a link to the rest of the posts in this series:

Answers to Some of the Questions Authors Ask—What If I Can't Do It?

Indie Author: If I indie publish people will know I couldn’t get a book deal, and if they know that, they will think my book is bad, plus, there are a mcBillion terrible indie books out right now---way more than there are good ones, so everyone will think my book is terrible. And it probably is. I’m going to burn my computer now, forget I said anything at all. 

Steal Like An Artist and Learn from the Best

by Marcia Moston @MarciaMoston

I teach a class called Steal Like An Artist, a title I promptly stole after reading Austin Kleon’s book with the same name. We study examples of good writing, some to model, some to simply admire in hopes there’s such a thing as learning by literary osmosis. Although I know there’s a lot to learn from reading bad writing, I seldom use it as an example. It’s a philosophy I adopted a long time ago after reading a response Mark Twain gave to a question about his river piloting days.

Tips for Writing Powerful Scenes

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

Isn’t that what we all strive for? We all want the ability to write a scene that engulfs our reader with cathartic emotion, one that makes them laugh or cry, and hopefully, read the next one, right? A scene that is so powerful that we want to run to the top of Rocky’s steps and hold our arms up in jubilation?

A Diet for Writing Dynamic Dialogue

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

Like delicious desserts, dialogue is often a reader’s favorite part of a story. We quote great dialogue for generations.

“Off with her head!” – Lewis Carroll.

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill.

“There’s so much scope for imagination.” Lucy Maud Montgomery.

“It’s me again, Hank the Cowdog.” John Erickson.

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” – Jesus Christ.

Dialogue is what characters say. Powerful stories are dialog driven through carefully chosen word selections. When Scrooge responds to Christmas cheer with “Bah, humbug,” Charles Dickens has masterfully portrayed the old man’s attitude and character in two words. 

A Marketing Timeline for Any Author

Edie here. Today I want to introduce you to our newest The Write Conversation columnist, Karen Whiting. Karen is a friend and best-selling author. Beyond that, she's the person I turn to when I need marketing and branding brainstorming. To say I'm excited to have her sharing her wisdom with those of you in this community is a HUGE understatement. Be sure to check out her newest book (at the end of the post) and give her a warm TWC welcome!

A Marketing Timeline for Any Author
By Karen Whiting @KarenHWhiting

Your book will be releasing. Hooray! Yikes! That means marketing! The dreaded word. Approach it with the joy of sharing about your book and a little organization to stay sane. Then it will not be so overwhelming, and you’ll be more confident. Whether you have a book coming yet, or the hope of one, it’s good to prepare. Whether weeks, months, or even years away from release, there are activities to work on during each phase. Create a notebook or folder to keep your information together.

Growing the Writing Career

by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

This post won’t apply to everyone, but it’s one I feel is necessary to a particular group of authors. Those who are published by small houses. 

Let me begin by saying, I work for a small house, and it’s wonderful. We do our best to offer new authors an opportunity at that first published book. Though there are naysayers who advise against publishing with a small house because the sales numbers are small, there are numerous advantages to working with a small publisher.

20 Tips for Writers & Radio Interviews

Edie here. Today I'm thrilled to have my friend and fellow author, Peggy Sue Wells on The Write Conversation. Although her post today is technically a guest post, with her expertise, I've persuaded her to become a regular part of our blogging team. Be sure to give her a warm welcome, and note that her book, Homeless for the Holidays is available as a 99cnt ebook today!

20 Tips for Writers & Radio Interviews

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

You've heard of surprise parties? Well, I became the surprise producer for award-winning WBCL's Mid-Morning.

Using Miscommunication in Your Stories

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

I was in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich for my son. Well, not exactly a sandwich but a piece of bread slathered with strawberry jam.

Then, I lost my mind. At least, it began to wander off.

For Writers, The Lies Your Characters Tell

by Sarah Sally Hamer @SarahSallyHamer 

Characters lie. To each other, to the reader, to the writer, and most of all, to themselves.

Why? Because they have to, if they’re “real” characters.

When writers create characters, we base them on people we know, or on people we imagine we know. But predominately, we base them on ourselves. And, at some level, we all lie.

My 5 Best Tips on Making Memes

by Ane Mulligan @AneMulligan

Let’s face it, pictures are worth ... yeah, yeah, a lot. There are many kinds of memes: funny ones, political ones, life commentaries, inspirational ones, and more. But for this post, I’m focusing on book promotion and author promo.