Nonfiction writers can glean insight from Barbara Walters advice on Oprah’s Master Class. After years of interviewing celebrities and past presidents, she shares a few of her inside secrets for a successful interview. Curiosity. Curiosity may have killed the cat. But it makes an interviewer’s career. Walters says, “I think that the interviewer/correspondent should have curiosity. If you don’t have curiosity, you’re not going to make it. Listen. Good listening skills are a dying art. We’re often so busy trying to think up the next genius question, we miss out on important revelations, body language and the truth behind what our subjects are…
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{by guest blogger: Marcia Zina Mager, The Write Coach} One of my all time favorite quotes about the writing process comes from one of the world’s greatest painters, Vincent Van Gogh. “Mediocre I do not despise at all. And one does not rise above that mark by despising what is mediocre. In my opinion one must begin by at least having some respect for the mediocre and know that it already means something and that it is only reached through great difficulty.” Whether you’ve written for decades or are just beginning, Van Gogh’s insightful wisdom can take you far in…
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Writing is a choice. It takes effort to sit your butt on your chair every day. It takes courage to move pass bricks and blocks and superficialities and safe talk. It takes a phenomenal amount of patience to wait for a response. You need a healthy dose of self-esteem to endure the inevitable onslaught of rejection: no response or worse yet, a negative one. So the one thing that can help you get pass the difficulties is to ask yourself why you write in the first place. For me, writing is a spiritual practice. It lets out the uglies. But…
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It happens at the most inopportune times. It happens when you’re driving, when you’re in the shower, when you’re running. When your mind finally quiets down, inspiration hits! That’s a great thing unless you’re in motion and can’t jot it down. What do you do in those situations? Do you pull over on the side of the road (hopefully you don’t try to text while driving)? Do you shorten your shower? Do you stop running mid-way? Or do you just let the idea slip right out of your hands? If you’re like me, you’re desperate to save inspired thoughts and…
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What do you when you’re writing gets stale? You do the following… INCREASE YOUR VOCABULARY. Writing can become mundane even for the writing enthusiast. And when you’re bored, your readers are bored. Mix it up by expanding your vocab list. Check out This site, which teaches words like, “argute,” and “snudge.” You might not use every word you learn in your next manuscript, but the exercise will force you to spend time outside the box. Read more over at The Freelance Life where I’m guest blogging.
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Think of these features as the fast food of writing wisdom. Quick. Meaty. And effortless. Grab and go back to your writing. This week’s post is on fiction straight from the words of Rachel Joyce, author of a recent book I read and am still digesting: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. In the back of this inspiring novel, I found an interview between Joyce and another author, Charlotte Rogan. I gleaned a handful of fiction and even insights on life from their conversation. I hope you will too: Rachel Joyce: “Reading is a creative process. As writers, we must…
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There are developmental stages for ages. Stages for grief and loss. And even stages of sleep, pregnancy and labor. So I thought why not writing? Here are the 5 stages most writers go through from idea to publication. Stage 1: Eureka! Stage 1 is probably my favorite part. It’s when ideas form from nothingness. They’re conceived when showering, walking, and time spent zoning off into space. It’s an exciting part of the process when I can’t wait to get to my laptop or a notepad to jot down the crazy thoughts bouncing around in my head. It might be days…
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{by: guest blogger} My freelance lifestyle wasn’t born out of a dream to forge my own path, pursue my innate sense of creativity at all costs or even break free from the corporate grind. Nope, my motivations weren’t as lofty as all that. The way it really went was something like this: My husband was given a career-boosting opportunity that involved nine months of schooling in the Washington, D.C. area, with no idea where we would be moving next. We talked it over and decided together that he should take the opportunity, and before we knew it, we were…
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Pastor Joel Osteen says in one of his television sermons, “All is well.” I’m not religious, but I think his wise words can be applied to writing. That essay you wrote and completed, but haven’t found an outlet has a purpose. It works the same way for the poem you wrote as an angst teen. And although an agent hasn’t yet shown interest in your work, it doesn’t mean you should toss your manuscript yet. One thing I wish for other writers (and myself) is that they would enjoy the process of writing itself. These days we put too much…
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by: Carrie L. Lewis People involved in the writing business are lovers of words. Let’s face it. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, are an agent, a publisher, or an editor, there’s something about the written word that really gets you fired up. The way each person responds to the written word is different, of course, but they all share a common interest. Writers are most interested in creation. Getting their thoughts and ideas on paper in the most compelling manner possible. Editors, while intrigued by language, usually also have a passion for detail and accuracy, something the writer may or…