“I read invisible writers…” Their words are all around us. I detect them in press releases, blog posts and web pages, even in articles attributed to specific executives. Some of these words are written by ghosts — well, ghostwriters. They intentionally choose to disappear behind another purported author. Invisibility is part of their job or […]
The Five Phases of Book Research
My favorite part is of the writing process isn’t crafting the perfect sentence, making a brilliant point, or polishing words. No, it’s research. That’s a good thing, because as a nonfiction author, I spend a great deal of time actively researching, even when not at work on another book. Sometimes that work doesn’t look like […]
Subscription Guilt Trips
I was having a comment conversation with Robbie Kellman Baxter the other day and… Wait – you don’t know what a comment conversation is? It’s what writers do when they start exchanging ideas and stories in the comments of a blog post, because they’re too lazy to pick up the phone and call, and are […]
Metaphors in Nonfiction: Unexpected Truths
What does the gin represent in T. S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party? How about the water? Questions like these torment students of literature. As an English major in college, I dedicated many brain cycles to analyzing figurative language in fiction: similes, metaphors, imagery, etc. Little did I know that the study of figurative language would […]
Books for Writers: Liminal Thinking
Understand Readers’ Beliefs – and Your Own We live in an increasingly divided world. Whether you’re gathering news and information from television, traditional newspapers, or online sources, chances are that you pay attention to people who share your beliefs. When we encounter people on the “other end” of our political or belief spectrum, we can […]
Readers’ Favorite Press Release: The Writer’s Process Gold Medal
For immediate release: Reader’s Favorite recognizes “The Writer’s Process” in its annual international book award contest. The Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries, ranging from new independent authors to NYT best-sellers and celebrities. Readers’ Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites […]