[The fifth in a series.] Congratulations! You’ve finished writing your rough draft. Now what? Ship (or e-mail) it to a publisher? Whoa!...

[The second in a series.] Once an idea comes, it must be developed before it can have any prospect of becoming, by and by, a book. This...

[The first in a series.] The first step in the publication of my books was to come up with an idea in which I had a sustained interest,...

In this initial installment, I want simply to reveal the individual steps I took in the publication of my books. (Bear in mind that I am...

But there’s a different way of looking at that adage that, if followed, can actually help us accomplish more and avoid many of the...

Recently, during one of the brief lulls between ten straight days of rain showers when the sun was making a brief appearance, I was...

One of the most-often stated maxims of writing instruction is “Show, don’t tell.” For example, instead of telling me that a particular...

10 RULES FOR GETTING AND KEEPING READERS’ ATTENTION HAVE A MESSAGE.  “To get attention, the first golden rule is, always say something...

Happy New Year to all the readers and followers of this blog. A new year is also an opportunity to evaluate what was done in the past and...

Things notoriously often move slowly in the publishing world. Quite some time ago, I queried an editor with an article idea I had. I was...

Another month has flown by. It’s only 25 days until Christmas! Wasn’t it just last week that we were returning Christmas decorations to...

“You get only one chance to make a good first impression.” That statement is especially true when it comes to submitting your writing to...

Whew! It’s finally over. We’ve survived yet another election cycle with all the now-all-too-familiar and ubiquitous yard signs, robo...

I don’t know where I first heard that statement: “Put the cookies on the bottom shelf.” It certainly didn’t originate with me, but I have...

My wife and I learned a valuable lesson last weekend. My wife really learned it. The hard way. She was outside working in her raised-bed...

Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege of presenting to a group of teachers in their beginning-of-year in-service training. I spoke on...

Perhaps you’re familiar with the adage “Don’t work harder; work smarter.” Although writing is always hard work (because it requires a lot...

He is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him. The neighbor...

“It isn’t defeat, but rather your mental attitude toward it, that whips you.” This goes back to what an earlier post said about the...

We’ve seen already how Napoleon Hill offered some good advice that writers can apply to the attitude they take toward their work. That’s...