Writing

Writers' Roundup: January 22

January 22, 2010

Some weeks I scramble to find enough links to make this roundup worth your while. But like last week, here again I’ve got plenty to share: For the Love of God, People, The Slush Pile Isn’t Dead at The Rumpus. A rebuke to a well-read Wall Street Journal article. In the New York Times, one […]

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News Flash: My first-person voice sounds more like me

January 21, 2010

I’m constantly making mistakes throughout this book-writing process. I suppose that’s normal when you undertake a project for the first time and have no one to guide you through it. But it’s frustrating, especially when I think about how much time I would have saved had I done everything right the first time. What am […]

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Despite Committed, I'm still rooting for Elizabeth Gilbert

January 19, 2010

I don’t usually review books on this blog. Hell, I don’t even know how to write a book review. But because Elizabeth Gilbert’s Committed was the much-awaited sequel to what’s arguably the most popular book in my genre, Eat, Pray, Love, I’m going to tell you what I thought of it. When I say much-awaited, […]

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Word count, with a little help from Amazon

January 18, 2010

Want more helpful tips on writing? Sign up for my free newsletter. Did you know Amazon.com has a new function that gives a word count for each book? (I did not discover this myself. Props to Suzanne for pointing it out.) This is awesome enough for me to get excited over. Why? Because it allows […]

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Writers' Roundup: January 15

January 15, 2010

Don’t you love when your Google Reader is bursting with awesome information? So much good stuff out there this week, including several memoir-specific posts: From Pimp My Novel: The Importance of Negative Reviews. If reviewers don’t have anything nice to say, should they say anything at all? A guest blogger on Guide to Literary Agents […]

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What's on my travel memoir bookshelf?

January 13, 2010

Every writer knows it’s important to read within your genre. For me, this is not a reason to read travel memoirs as much as an excuse. I love travel memoirs. I read every one I can get my hands on. And now that I’m writing one, I read them in the name of research. One […]

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Calling all writers of travel memoir! Join the party.

January 8, 2010

UPDATE #2: Our Ning group has moved to Facebook. Request to join! UPDATE: I’ve created a Ning group, Travel Memoir Writers, where we can continue this conversation, share ideas and learn from one another. If you’re writing a travel memoir, please join us! Forgoing today’s Writers’ Roundup for something more fun: a blog party! We’ve […]

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Word count update

January 7, 2010

I don’t usually post word counts, but several friends have asked recently how long my book will be. I just finished revising (and cutting) Parts I and II, and together they’re nearly 70,000 words. That’s 224 manuscript pages, double-spaced in Microsoft Word, Times New Roman font. Ideally, I’d like the manuscript to come in at […]

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Lexi's Book Club

January 6, 2010

Just in time for the New Year, I’ve presented five of my friends with a gift: the first section of my book. Of course, they’re really the ones giving me the gift. These generous people have offered to read my travel memoir, front-to-back, and offer suggestions. A handful of writerly friends have read pieces of […]

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The Babysitters Club is BACK!

December 31, 2009

I promised I wouldn’t blog this week. But how can I ignore the return of The Babysitters Club series?! (New York Times, thank you for reporting news that matters.) I grew up reading these books. I was that geeky, speed-reading tween who carried a book everywhere just in case I had time to get in […]

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