You may call yourself a writer but when was the last time you sat down and wrote something, besides the grocery list or your name on a check? It's all too easy to come up with excuse after excuse. Are you telling yourself: I'll write when the kids are back in school. I'll write when my job doesn't take up so much time. I'll write when we get the new computer and I don't have to share. Or do you have another excuse?

Different writers have different writing schedules. Some will lock themselves in… Continue

Waiting for Inspiration to Strike
New writers often think they need some kind of special inspired feeling or mood in order to begin writing. Successful professional writers, on the other hand, have trained their minds to be productive no matter what mood they might be in. They get up in the morning and go to work, just as though it was any other kind of job. They make progress on their book each and every day.

Starting a Manuscript Before You Are Ready
With most book projects, it… Continue

One of the questions famous authors are asked most frequently by their readers is: Where do you get your ideas for stories? To some readers, this process of generating ideas is mysterious, almost mystical. But authors find that creating concepts for stories is just part of their job. They train their minds to continually provide them with fresh ideas to put down on paper. But sometimes they too are amazed when an idea occurs to them, seemingly out of nowhere, they grab a pad and pen, and a few h… Continue

Writers’ groups can be small informal groups that meet periodically at one of the author’s homes, or larger more formalized organizations that meet in public places such as the local library or a restaurant. The group may just sit around a coffee table and read each other’s work, or the group may have guest speakers and a formal agenda. In either case, the goal is to provide information and encouragement to advance writers’ careers, whether you are working on your first project or are an establi… Continue