Tag archives for hook
My Novel Snags a Finalist Award & I’ll take it! SweetSpot: Now and Then
My sincere thanks to the 2026 American Legacy Book Awards for this recognition of my novel, SweetSpot: Now and Then, which delves into the struggles and emotions of a middle-aged woman. In 1999, conversations about the inevitable loss of youth ...
Sol Stein, Characterization and Novel Writing
Sol Stein, Characterization and Novel Writing
Sol Stein's Take on Novel Writing and Character Development
When you've been studying craft as long as moi , you collect lots of notes. Foraging through boxes recently I found a treasure trove of good ...
OPENINGS: Novel Writing Unchanged, The Writer, 1994
OPENINGS: Novel Writing Unchanged, The Writer, 1994. My workshops have always focused on hooking readers with craft elements taught to me by literary masters. Barnaby Conrad, founder of the renowned Santa Barbara Writers Conference, mentored me for many years. I ...
SCWC: Birth of The Pitch Witch Workshop
SCWC: Birth of The Pitch Witch Workshop. We first taught this workshop at the So California Writers Conference in 2010. Given the response, we knew the Pitch Witch Workshop was needed and appreciated by writers on the road to publication.
Why learn this ...
40 Minute FREE Query Letter Workshop!
Query Letters: I have written many query letters. For many years, most of my query letters were rejected. I kept pitching until my query letters began garnering attention. My rejections turned sweeter- 'Good idea but this isn't for me' kind of ...
Pitch Witch Writers Workshop
Pitch Witch Writers Workshop
Screenwriters call it the 'elevator pitch' - no matter the name, the goal is the same: Should you meet a publishing professional in an elevator who you know is one of the pros you want to pitch ...
Writers, Why Writers Conferences?
I love cyberspace and the ability to do business easily. But for writers, there's no place like home (s) we visit annually, come hell or high water: writers conferences. Why go? Conferences offer avenues into the community of writers. The ...
Indie Authors TV with Jason Matthews & Marla Miller
Indie Authors TV
Tune in this Monday, 4/29/13, to listen to 'this interviewer' being interviewed by Jason Matthews on Indie Authors TV. Topics include building my platform, going rogue with Kickstarter , defining & discussing what 'With Author' means & the ...
NEW! Quick Query Critique #134: On the Border of Time Fiction/Time Travel Romance
Dear ________:
I’m seeking representation for my time travel romance, On the Border of Time.
As archivist for the Hixson Mills Historical Society, Julia Pickett is entrusted with the care and preservation of the whispered words of the past found within ...
The Future of Publishing Platforms Is Here
Johnson’s futurism was followed by two presentations about current technology now changing the market: Matt MacInnis, detailed the public launch of Inkling Habitat, a free multimedia authoring platform that allows publishers to create multimedia-enriched digital content and distribute it through ...