Category: Quoted Writers

The Voice of the Muse: Interview With Author Mark David Gerson

Fellow scribes, check out this enlightening “Q & A” with author and writing teacher Mark David Gerson. He wrote The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write - and here, he shares a few writing tips.
First, here’s one of Gerson’s favorite life and writing quips:
“It is good to have an end to journey [...]

12 Steps to Finding a Literary Agent: My Road to Irene Goodman

I just signed on with the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in NYC, and though nobody knows what the future holds, I’m thrilled to reach this milestone in my writing career! It took me three weeks to find an agent - and here are the steps I took.
First, though, I gotta share a quip I found [...]

A Published Novelist Explains How to Write a Killer Opening Line

In this guest post, writer William Meikle describes how to write a “killer opening line” and keep your readers hooked.
But first, I have to share a quip from Annie Dillard on how to be a successful writer:
“One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, [...]

The Best Birthday, Anniversary, and Holiday Gifts for Writers

Okay, this list of the best holiday and other gifts for writers does not include books! Instead, it’s a round up of ideas for the writer in your life - whether you’re married to an unpublished poet or celebrating her 52nd week on the New York Times bestseller list!
First, a quip from William Zinsser:
“There’s not [...]

5 Ways to Immediately Improve Your Writing

As a writer, it’s all too easy to concentrate on the mechanics of submitting work to editors and to forget that the writing itself is of primary importance. We should all be constantly seeking to improve. If we do that, editorial approval will become that much easier.
To that end, here are five things you can [...]

How to Write Query Letters for Magazine Articles

In Writer’s Market 2009, there’s a great “Query Letter Clinic” (an article) that describes how to write a query letter for a magazine. I’ve summarized the main points below, and included a sample of a good nonfiction magazine query.
But first, fellow scribes:
“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of [...]

Writing Quips and Tips From Stephen King

Stephen King’s book On Writing was really difficult for him to write - and the first half was difficult for me to read. Nevertheless, I’ve pulled seven writing quips and tips from his book - and I know there’s more!
First, a quip from the King of Horror:
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two [...]

How to Stay in “The Zone” and Succeed as a Writer

In this guest post, author and psychologist Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman, Ph.D., describes how to stay in the zone and succeed as a writer. 
First, a quip from Arthur Hailey on how to be a successful writer:
“I set myself 600 words a day as a minimum output, regardless of the weather, my state of mind or [...]

10 Short Story Endings to Avoid

A logical, satisfying ending is always required in a short story, but how do you ensure that yours is fresh and new? One of the ways is to avoid the obvious. Here are some common endings seen by editors: use them at your peril.
People have been writing stories for a very long time. If you’ve [...]

7 Tips for Writing With a Chronic Illness

Writing always poses challenges. Having a chronic illness, disability, or indeed any circumstances that makes us housebound, can make the writing life seem overwhelming. I took a year out to write, but badly injured my back at the very start. At first, I wanted to give up, but after careful thought I realized I could [...]

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