How to Write a Book Proposal

(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 […]

Self-plagiarism: A writer’s guide

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 advice. She had been taught over…

Who’s on first: Understanding who’s who in book editing

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 […]

How to Reduce Clutter in Your Writing

by 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 […]

Promoting your writer’s voice online: How do you sound?

by 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 […]

Collaborative writing: Is it for you?

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 […]

Tips to Keep Momentum in Your Writing

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 […]

Five Ways to Make the Most of Your Writing Journal

Writers 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 […]

Five Ways to Make Your Life More Creative

Writers 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 […]

Six Common Mistakes New Writers Make

Albert Einstein once said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” If you’re a new writer, you’ll inevitably make mistakes. We all make mistakes – especially when we’re embarking on a new path. Writing is no different. Over the past thirty years, we’ve learned a lot about writing and publishing […]