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Blog Posts on Writing

Some Things You Need to Know as an Author

What does it actually t ake to write a book? Below is a list of 10 things (five short and five longer ones). Join me in 2025 and finally...

How to write a great back cover book blurb

Think of your back cover blurb like a movie trailer. There is a good reason movie trailers are not made by the writer. It’s so hard as writer to think of your book as a product. It feel like an oversell and a bit awkward to hype it so much right? Not true. This tight piece of writing needs to be SO crafted and SO clever. It also needs to make your book seem dramatic and desperately exciting (far more than it really is). Look, no book – or movie – can sustain that level of excitement for the...

What if my book sucks?

Here's the question we all ask. What if my book sucks?

It doesn’t matter how many books you have written (like me); lalunching a book is a

Original and Wild Voices in Storytelling

Chapter excerpt from “ABOUT ORIGINAL & WILD VOICE IN SPEAKING AND WRITING”, from “Tending the Creative Fire manuscript” by Dr. Clarissa...

Are you an 'over-writer' an 'over thinker' or a 'lots-of-folders' writer

See if you can find yourself and your writing style in my article below where I detail The 7 Kinds of Writers. You may have a laugh. Are you an 'over-writer' an 'over thinker' or a 'lots-of-folders writers'? Hmmm let's see. It doesn’t matter how many books you have written; this is a nail-biting time for any author. This is my 5th book under my name, and my 16th overall (the 11 others are ones I have ghostwritten for other people). I should be supremely confident, and I am confident on a...

What does a book editor cost?

My authors are often blindsided by how much a good editor actually costs. I want you to think of it this way – most editors take a...

Why you need to block off a date with your book

1. CLOCK IN AND OUT Be specific, and mindful when you start and when you finish. A focused strategy is better than just wafting into...

Categories or subgenre of memoir

What if you are writing a memoir or biography? Memoirs are as varied as their authors. Here are some of the most common types. Where will...

Six Things Authors Can Do To Get Your Book Move Visible

You have written the book and finally launched it. It’s loaded on Amazon and you have exhausted your own marketing network and harassed your

Novel writers? Know your fiction genres

Okay so you pretty much know my rule - DON'T write until you are clear on your genre. I can't tell you how many novels I get sent and when I open them I can see that the author has not landed their story in a clear and publishable genr e. The publishing environment is too competitive to NOT know you genre, and its key conventions. Readers will know them, and they buy these books regularly. So this is the first step all authors need to take, which is to put a stake in the ground and cement...

Video Lessons on Writing

Blog Posts on Writing

Some Things You Need to Know as an Author

What does it actually t ake to write a book? Below is a list of 10 things (five short and five longer ones). Join me in 2025 and finally...

How to write a great back cover book blurb

What if my book sucks?

Here's the question we all ask. What if my book sucks?

It doesn’t matter how many books you have written (like me); lalunching a book is a

Original and Wild Voices in Storytelling

Chapter excerpt from “ABOUT ORIGINAL & WILD VOICE IN SPEAKING AND WRITING”, from “Tending the Creative Fire manuscript” by Dr. Clarissa...

Are you an 'over-writer' an 'over thinker' or a 'lots-of-folders' writer

What does a book editor cost?

My authors are often blindsided by how much a good editor actually costs. I want you to think of it this way – most editors take a...

Why you need to block off a date with your book

1. CLOCK IN AND OUT Be specific, and mindful when you start and when you finish. A focused strategy is better than just wafting into...

Categories or subgenre of memoir

What if you are writing a memoir or biography? Memoirs are as varied as their authors. Here are some of the most common types. Where will...

Six Things Authors Can Do To Get Your Book Move Visible

You have written the book and finally launched it. It’s loaded on Amazon and you have exhausted your own marketing network and harassed your

Novel writers? Know your fiction genres

Top 10 Best-Selling Fiction Authors of All Time

10. J.K Rowling * 400 million copies Surprised? I suppose not, but I bet you though she would be higher on the list. J.K Rowling has...

Villainous characters

The Mastermind The Mastermind does not commit the crime, but is the brains behind the big event, whether it is a stealing, a scam or some...

Character Profile Worksheet

Basic Statistics Name: Age: Nationality: Socioeconomic Level as a child: Socioeconomic Level as an adult: Hometown: Current Residence:...

Non Fiction Book Structures

You have established your genre – now how will you book play out in terms of how you present the information. A lot of this is a choice...

How to structure your non fiction book

Memoir writers, you need to take a different approach to plotting than writers tackling a straight NF. When you plan a memoir or...

Do you need to be an expert to write?

Here's the question that lurks in the back of the mind of many writers … am I actually qualified to write a book? The book could be about...

Book Lengths What Are You Aiming For?

Where are you going with all this writing? Well, you are mostly likely shooting for a minimum of 50,000 words. Why 50,000? It is the...

The 10 Revision Stages of a Novel

It takes a lot to write a novel. Even those who haven’t tried would say, “well, duh!” to this. But it’s not so much the mind space or the sh

But is this book really yours?

What is original thought in writing? And all those things you think….. those ideas you have….. Are you aware where they come from? Are...

7 questions writers most often ask me

1. How long will this book take?
2. Can I get on the New York Times Bestseller list?
3. Where do I start?
4. Why are publishers

Video Lessons on Writing

Blog Posts on Writing

Some Things You Need to Know as an Author

What does it actually t ake to write a book? Below is a list of 10 things (five short and five longer ones). Join me in 2025 and finally...

How to write a great back cover book blurb

What if my book sucks?

Here's the question we all ask. What if my book sucks?It doesn’t matter how many books you have written (like me); lalunching a book is a

Original and Wild Voices in Storytelling

Chapter excerpt from “ABOUT ORIGINAL & WILD VOICE IN SPEAKING AND WRITING”, from “Tending the Creative Fire manuscript” by Dr. Clarissa...

Are you an 'over-writer' an 'over thinker' or a 'lots-of-folders' writer

What does a book editor cost?

My authors are often blindsided by how much a good editor actually costs. I want you to think of it this way – most editors take a...

Why you need to block off a date with your book

1. CLOCK IN AND OUT Be specific, and mindful when you start and when you finish. A focused strategy is better than just wafting into...

Categories or subgenre of memoir

What if you are writing a memoir or biography? Memoirs are as varied as their authors. Here are some of the most common types. Where will...

Six Things Authors Can Do To Get Your Book Move Visible

You have written the book and finally launched it. It’s loaded on Amazon and you have exhausted your own marketing network and harassed your

Novel writers? Know your fiction genres

Top 10 Best-Selling Fiction Authors of All Time

10. J.K Rowling * 400 million copies Surprised? I suppose not, but I bet you though she would be higher on the list. J.K Rowling has...

Villainous characters

The Mastermind The Mastermind does not commit the crime, but is the brains behind the big event, whether it is a stealing, a scam or some...

Character Profile Worksheet

Basic Statistics Name: Age: Nationality: Socioeconomic Level as a child: Socioeconomic Level as an adult: Hometown: Current Residence:...

Non Fiction Book Structures

You have established your genre – now how will you book play out in terms of how you present the information. A lot of this is a choice...

How to structure your non fiction book

Memoir writers, you need to take a different approach to plotting than writers tackling a straight NF. When you plan a memoir or...

Do you need to be an expert to write?

Here's the question that lurks in the back of the mind of many writers … am I actually qualified to write a book? The book could be about...

Book Lengths What Are You Aiming For?

Where are you going with all this writing? Well, you are mostly likely shooting for a minimum of 50,000 words. Why 50,000? It is the...

The 10 Revision Stages of a Novel

It takes a lot to write a novel. Even those who haven’t tried would say, “well, duh!” to this. But it’s not so much the mind space or the sh

But is this book really yours?

What is original thought in writing? And all those things you think….. those ideas you have….. Are you aware where they come from? Are...

7 questions writers most often ask me

1. How long will this book take?2. Can I get on the New York Times Bestseller list?3. Where do I start?4. Why are publishers

Here's the question we all ask. What if my book sucks?

It doesn’t matter how many books you have written (like me); lalunching a book is a

1. How long will this book take?
2. Can I get on the New York Times Bestseller list?
3. Where do I start?
4. Why are publishers