LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON

Tag: Laurence MacNaughton

  • When in Doubt, Check Preditors & Editors

    Preditors & Editors Have you been approached by a literary agent who wants to charge you a reading fee, has pointed you to a private “commercializing” service or seems just a little bit TOO slick to be a good catch?  It seems like the moment you decide you’re going to write a book, the sharks…

  • How To Revise A Novel

    Got writing questions?  Get answers! Q:  I have a writing question.  Actually, a rewrite question.  What do you do when you’re so sick of your novel that you just want to tear it into shreds?  I’m trying to edit my writing so I can send my novel out to literary agents and publishers.  I used…

  • Become a Pro Writer — One Hour at a Time!

    The more you write, the better you get.  That should go without saying, but discouragement can dim our perceptions, so I’m coming right out and saying it: Every hour you spend writing makes you a better writer.  I talk a lot about the learning curve of your first novel.  If you’re like most people, as…

  • Your Very Own Custom Erotica — for Charity

    Erotica author Tiffany Reisz Here to prove that you can write a novel about even the most risque of topics is author Tiffany Reisz, who has a two-book deal with Harlequin Spice and three erotica novellas either out or coming out in the next year.  She has also graciously donated a truly unique item to…

  • How To Make A Disastrous Booksigning Event A Success by J.A. Konrath

    Author J.A. Konrath I happened across this writing article by J.A. Konrath recently at  Backspace, The Writer’s Place.  I remember reading it years ago, probably in Writer’s Digest somewhere.  Joe really knows his stuff when it comes to literary agents, publishers and how to write a book.  So check this out; it’s a great piece…

  • Defrag Your Writer Brain in 3 Easy Steps

    If you’re like me, ideas swirl around you all the time — stories, characters, settings, dialogue, and so on.  It sticks in your brain, so you write it down.  Before long, you have so many scraps of paper around you that a single gust of wind could turn you into a human snow globe. This…

  • Help Fight Diabetes and Win a Critique!

    That’s right, folks.  You already know you can write a novel — and now’s your chance to prove it.  Thanks to the heroic efforts of Brenda Novak and her elite team of auction experts, you have a chance to help a great cause AND win a personal manuscript critique from Yours Truly.  And of course,…

  • What Aspiring Writers Can Learn from Instant Coffee

    Anybody who has ever worked in advertising (like yours truly, natch) knows how tough it is to tell a good story while you’re trying to promote a product.  I could bring up the time I had to write about a certain brand of high-end skater hoodies (yes, hoodies, as in a sweatshirt with a hood…

  • Aspiring Writers, Take Notes!

    You can write a novel that seems absolutely perfect to you: the dialogue is tight, the characters are richly layered and the plot crackles with energy.  But you’ll still get notes, I guarantee it.  And that’s a good thing. Notes, by the way, are the comments you get from decision-makers (mostly literary agents and editors)…

  • Bestselling Authors, Millions of Dollars, and You

    Ebooks have always been a hot-button topic in the publishing business.  And that was before bestselling author Barry Eisler walked away from a half-million-dollar deal in favor of self-publishing his own ebooks. And yes, you read that right: a half a million dollars.  Which, as you’ll see in a moment, might just be chump change…