Tag Archives: sara karnish

Articles, Blog, Opinion, Promotion, Writing and Publishing

Short Stories, Novellas, and Novels… Oh My!

A few weeks ago, lovely and perspicacious writer pal Sara Karnish threw some questions at me about novels, novellas, and short stories and from my addled, sleep-deprived brain, I conjured up some reasonably cogent replies (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).

Check out the interview on the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group blog!

The second edition of my first paranormal mystery novel, Testing the Prisoner, is out now in ebook and paperback!

Testing the Prisoner

And if you’re in the Lehigh Valley this coming weekend, October 19-22, come on out to the Easton Book Festival for a dazzling array of writers and poets offering readings, panel discussions, presentations, and more!

Easton Book Festival Small Press Expo

Articles, Blog, Craft, Opinion, Writing and Publishing

About This Writing Stuff…

Nice to hear from a few writer friends on the blog this month. Sara Karnish reminds us about proper critique etiquette and discusses the writer/editor relationship with Pattie Giordani.

It is said that your focus determines your reality. That applies to fictional characters as well. However, there are occasions in real life when we deliberately ignore or avoid something unpleasant. Writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us effective ways to depict that in our characters.

Over at Good Story Company, Amy Wilson draws a distinct line between editing and revision while Kristen Overman delves into the “chosen one” trope and how to ensure your hero is up to the task.

Struggling with book marketing? With a writing drought? With imposter syndrome? We got you covered on all three this month.

All that and a little more. Enjoy!

Follow the Energy of Denial by Kathryn Craft

Chosen One Stories: Is Your Hero Worthy of the Journey? by Kristen Overman

How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be? by Terry Odell

How to Give a Critique (Without Being Too Critical) by Sara Karnish

I Would Rather See My Books Pirated Than This (Or Why Goodreads and Amazon are Becoming Dumpster Fires) by Jane Friedman

How to Market Your Books to Get Worldwide Exposure by Diana Urban

How Authors Use Preorders to Promote New Books in 2023 by AJ Yee

5 Things Influencers Look for in a Book by Ryan Steck

5 Ways to Survive a Publishing Drought by Katrina Kittle

The Difference Between Editing and Revising by Amy Wilson

The Author/Editor Relationship: A Q&A with Pattie Giordani by Sara Karnish

How to Escape Imposter Syndrome in Your Writing Life by Lynette M. Burrows

 

 

Blog, Conventions, Events, Writing and Publishing

Write Stuff Conference Recap

I enjoyed presenting three sessions over Zoom at the Write Stuff Writers Conference yesterday. I wasn’t feeling one-hundred percent thanks to a lingering sinus infection (and a new bout of depression and anxiety that sank its claws into me a few weeks ago), but I gave it one hundred percent as always and all three seemed to be well-received.
 
My first session of the morning, “Anatomy of a Compelling Short Story” was brand new. It covered a lot of ground and I had to rush at the end despite practice. I realized afterwards that it lacked one topic, which I added this morning for the next opportunity. Might trim out one of the other slides. We’ll see.
 
“Time Management and Self Care for Writers” was, to me, my best session of the day. It received an overhaul in the five years or so since I last presented it and now has more substance in the Time Management section. The brief self-care portion was added after COVID.
 
My final talk on self-editing was one that I’d given three times before, but for some reason (possibly due to my propensity for speaking quickly), it ended about ten minutes earlier than any previous occasion, even with the addition of three slides. That allowed more time for audience engagement, which was wonderful and inspired me to add two more brief topics to the slide deck.
 
Between and after my sessions, I attended Sara Karnish’s wonderful presentation on “Putting Research to Work in Your Writing” and all three of Lawrence Knorr’s classes on self-publishing and ebook creation, which were helpful given my future goals.
 
Overall, a fine day with my tribe. I look forward to next year when we’ll be able to gather again in person at the conference hotel and I’ll be off the hook as a presenter. 😁 Many thanks to conference chair Charles B. Kiernan for inviting me to speak!
‌