A potpourri of advice on writing and things related
From Rick:
I’m going to be away on vacation, so there will not be a post next week. Therefore, I decided to give you two weeks’ worth of reading material to digest. You might want to read these articles because there will be a quiz afterwards. Seriously. I jest you not.
The first article comes from Anne Allen on how writers fall prey to publishing scams. The article is appropriately subtitled “7 New Writer Mistakes to Avoid” because these mistakes are the ones that cause writers to fall prey to the Vanity Publishers.
It’s a great article, and I’ve known a few writers who have committed many or most of these.
While not a writing mistake, some paranoid newbie writers register the copyright of their book before it’s finished in the belief that this will protect their brilliant idea and writing from being stolen.
I especially like mistake #3. Not all newbies adhere to these particular reasons for not reading current bestsellers, but they come up with other equally irrational ones like not having time to read. The point is that you must check out the competition, whether you like the competition or not. Those books sold for a reason, maybe not good reasons, but they did sell, and you cannot ignore that.
I should add reason #8 to the list: Some writers believe that if they copy a bestselling writer’s style that they will have a bestseller.
But that’s only a fraction of your reading material. My favorite blogger, Kris Rusch always has wonderful posts, but her six most recent ones are especially outstanding and informative for writers, although non-writers might appreciate the insights of “Eclipse Expectations” and “Rip Van Winkle Syndrome.”
So, here they are for your next couple of weeks of reading.
I SPENT DECADES DEVELOPING MY IP
See you in two weeks—with a quiz on what you read this time.
–Rick