My students hate it when I ask trick questions. And of course, this is one of them. The short answer to the question: What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional is simple. A professional gets paid. It’s not more profound than that. But I said it was a trick question. All of us want … More How Amateur Writers Become Professionals
I just got done reading an article about Seth Roberts, the second-year receiver for the Oakland Raiders, my NFL team of choice. Seth Roberts went to a small, no-name college and even though he played well in college ball, he didn’t get drafted by the NFL. He became one of the many undrafted players that … More My Three Keys to Writing Success
One of the things I thoroughly enjoy about being an indie author is being able to do as much of the process myself as I would like. That includes writing, editing, formatting pages, doing covers and promotion. The down side to that is obvious, of course. You get what you pay for. I have a … More We’re Doing a Makeover!
Celeste and I officially completed the first draft of Salome’s Charger on Sunday. Yay! Woot! I find more joy and satisfaction out of the initial development of a story than anytime else. Well, let me correct that. I get more joy and satisfaction out of people reading my story than any other time. That, ladies and … More Now Comes the Hard Part
It’s the first official day of the week of Spring Break. There are a lot of fun things I could be doing, including working on my new book, Salome’s Charger, which is being adeptly co-authored by Celeste Perrino-Walker. I could even be playing Lord of the Rings Online, or watching another rerun of Glee. Instead, … More Hurry Up and Wait
I’ve been at this adventure called indie authoring since the beginning of 2012–so I guess that’s about three years now. It’s a lonely, stressful, exciting, fulfilling pursuit. So far, there’s not a lot of money in it, and there’s a steep learning curve. I’m more confident more than I was when I started, but just … More Writers Helping Writers
Ahem. Once again, open mouth, insert foot. I was at a low spot last week when I pronounced my latest book, Chosen, as officially tanked. It was slow in getting started, and impatient as I am, wanted more immediate response than I was getting. Just about the time I make an official announcement to that … More Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
I am pretty active on the website Quora.com, where you can ask or answer questions. A few days ago, I was asked to answer the question: “What are some qualities a book should have to keep a reader engaged for hours?” I responded by quoting writing guru Robert McKee from his famous writing book, Story. … More Why Writers Need the Wow Factor
My father was a “jack of all trades and master of none.” He was really good at fixing things with his hands, but wasn’t really fantastic at anything. I guess that’s where I inherit my short attention span. Once again, time to be transparent. My latest book, Chosen, has tanked for all intents and purposes. … More Platform vs. Inspiration
If you go to author Neil Stephenson’s (author of books like Cryptonomicon and Anathem) website, you will get a message that goes something like this: Dear Reader, if you appreciate my books, then I encourage you to leave me alone and let me focus on my work. Thank you. N. Stephenson. Writing is a solitary … More Private Parts
