Rebecca Talley | March 1, 2010
Credibility in your writing is crucial if you want readers to suspend disbelief and immerse themselves in your story.
For example, I’ve watched a television show that’s set in a city in California with which I’m very familiar. I know the city streets, beaches, and landscape of the city. I know the nuances and architecture. Though [...]
Rebecca Talley | February 21, 2010
Many new writers complain that using “said” is too boring. They want to liven up their writing with new and different tags. The problem with using tags other than “said” is that 1) they call attention to themselves and draw the reader out of the story, and 2) they tell instead of show.
For example:
“You can’t [...]
Rebecca Talley | February 15, 2010
What exactly is purple prose and why should you avoid it?
Purple prose can be defined as overwriting, using flowery language, and making the writing so complicated it’s hard to even understand it. Purple prose calls attention to the writing instead of the story.
Have you ever read any? It’s easy to spot. Here’s an example, “The [...]
Rebecca Talley | February 8, 2010
You’ve written your book and you have a publisher interested in it. The next thing you know, you have a contract in the mail.
If you’ve never signed a publishing contract before, you’ll want to research the language specific to this type of contract.
Your contract may include:
Rights Granted to the Publisher. This assigns the copyright [...]
Rebecca Talley | January 28, 2010
You may think that once you’ve written your book and it’s been published, all of your work is done. Wrong.
Your work is only beginning. In the United States, well over 150,000 books are published each year. That’s a high number of books to compete for consumers’ attention. Of course, we’re well aware of the breakout [...]
Rebecca Talley
