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Originally posted on Patricia J. Parsons:
In modern parlance, I’m what might be called a “plotter” when it comes to my writing. This is in contrast to those of you who are called “pantsers,” although I’m not sure why anyone would accept that slightly dubious moniker. Anyway, plotters plan things – characters, timelines, settings and,…
(excerpt from Permission to Write: How to Write a Book & Other Myths from the Real World of Writing & Publishing by Patricia J. Parsons The moment the publisher said “yes” she was interested in seeing more about my book with a view to possible publication was the moment I knew I’d have to learn […]
Read More How to Write a Book ProposalOriginally posted on Patricia J. Parsons:
Some years ago, I wrote a blog piece on self-plagiarism, a concept that seems to be largely unknown in circles of wannabe writers these days. It seemed important at that time because I was still teaching full-time at a university, and a former student contacted me to ask for…
by Patricia J. Parsons Writers write. Editors edit. It’s that simple. Right? Well, not really. Let’s take a trip through the writing-editing process from the beginning of an idea to when a book makes its way into a reader’s hands. An idea forms in a writer’s head and that writer takes a unique, individualized approach […]
Read More Who’s on first: Understanding who’s who in book editingby Patricia J.Parsons In his book On Writing Well, an absolute must-read for anyone who writes, the estimable William Zinsser presents to us an entire chapter simply titled “clutter.” He begins by telling us that “…fighting clutter is like fighting weeds – the writer is always slightly behind.” This is probably truer these days than […]
Read More How to Reduce Clutter in Your Writingby Patricia J. Parsons If you write fiction, you’ve been told over and over that publishers and readers look for “fresh voices” and it’s much the same for nonfiction. A writer’s voice is that unique fingerprint that identifies that writer’s style, or as it was put to me early in my writing career, style is […]
Read More Promoting your writer’s voice online: How do you sound?There’s little doubt that writing is, in general, a solitary business. That’s why keeping your momentum, as we discussed last week, is so important. No boss is demanding that you complete the work or risk your job. It’s just you. However, there might be times when you ought to consider a collaboration. There may be […]
Read More Collaborative writing: Is it for you?It doesn’t matter what kind of work you do: especially if the project is a long one, there often comes a time when you lose momentum. Momentum, of course, is that forward-motion or energy that powers us through our activities toward completion. Writers, perhaps more than many others, need this propulsion to keep the work […]
Read More Tips to Keep Momentum in Your WritingWriters have been using journals of one kind or another for as long as there have been writers. Among them, Victor Hugo, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Ernest Hemingway and J.K. Rowling who famously wrote out the first draft of her first Harry Potter book in a journal in a café in Scotland while on government […]
Read More Five Ways to Make the Most of Your Writing JournalWriters get it – at least most of the time. It just may be the case, though, that there are people among us who don’t understand why it’s important to cultivate creativity in our lives. What these people don’t understand is that creativity is not confined to those who follow artistic lives. It’s important to […]
Read More Five Ways to Make Your Life More Creative