Writing

Writers' Roundup: May 21

May 21, 2010

Happy Friday! My favorite links from this week: Is travel writing becoming by and for the wealthy? Travel writer Jason Cochran brings up some good points in this post. Writer Courtney Kane says second-hand books come into our lives when we’re supposed to read them. Love it. Some advice on describing places in your travel […]

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Talking about tense: past vs. present

May 18, 2010

It occurred to me this week while revising: Would my story feel more alive if I wrote in present tense? I wrote my manuscript in past tense without giving it a thought. That’s the tense I’m used to from my journalism background, the kind that comes easy to me. But I’m reading Mary Morris‘ The […]

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Conference takeaway: It's all about how you tell the story

May 17, 2010

I had an Ah-Ha! Moment at the Compleat Biographers Conference this weekend. (Yes, there might be a biography in my future. But I’m not ready to share details yet.) We’ve all been told a million times that the success of a book depends on how the author tells the story. It doesn’t depend on the […]

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Writers' Roundup: May 14

May 14, 2010

Thanks to all of you who left encouraging notes on my good-news post this week. I feel your love! My list of links is short this week: From the Book Examiner, 30 famous authors who were once rejected. (I’ve already been rejected, so all I have to do to qualify is become famous!) I recently […]

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Quick plug for @travelmemoir

May 13, 2010

If you’re writing a travel memoir or enjoy reading them, hope you’ll follow @travelmemoir on Twitter. We’ll offer tips, helpful links and book recommendations, as well as notes about what’s going on in the Travel Memoir Writers Ning group. [tweetmeme source=”alexisgrant”] Should be a good resource.

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On taking chances (and some good news)

May 9, 2010

The best things in life happen when we take chances. We all know it, and yet it’s still scary to leap into the unknown. During the last two years, I’ve taken a lot of chances. I left a reporting job I loved. I traveled alone in Africa. And I put off full-time employment to write […]

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Writers' Roundup: May 7

May 7, 2010

Some good things have happened over the last two weeks. Well, one good book-related thing in particular. I’ll share the details here on Monday. (Or you can follow me on Twitter, where I’ve already spilled the beans.) To hold you over, a few of my favorite links from this week: Author Dani Shapiro (who I […]

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Querying your memoir: manuscript or proposal?

May 3, 2010

So you’re writing a memoir. Should you complete your manuscript before approaching agents? Or query with only a proposal? I’ve touched on this topic here and here and here, but it comes up so often in the memoir-writing community — and there’s so little advice available online — that it’s time I addressed it outright. […]

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Writers' Roundup: April 30

April 30, 2010

Hooray for links! Mashable tells us how freelancers are using social media for real results. If you’re not doing this, you’re missing opportunities. MediaBistro’s GalleyCat offers a list of the best books on writing. Be sure to read through the comments for more recommendations. Why are chef’s memoirs popular with people who don’t care to […]

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Writers' Roundup: April 23

April 23, 2010

It’s Friday! That means links: The Boston Globe brings us the story of a Pulitzer-winning novelist who almost went unpublished. While we’re on the topic of Pulitzers, I also enjoyed this article from The Washington Post about what the prize won’t do for a reporter and the subjects of his work. Do tell-all memoirs really […]

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