With school back in session, I want to share a great article I found last year. Well, it’s not really an article, more of a list of grammatical rules in which the rules themselves have cleverly been broken. I sometimes hand out copies to the midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy who come to the …
In my experience — and I have a feeling I’m not alone here — all great writing ideas and prompts pop into your head when you’re in the shower, driving a vehicle, or running/walking. I even came up with a great title for a yet-to-be-written book while in the voting cubicle during the last presidential …
Forgive me if I digress from writing topics, but I have to vent: these sure weren’t your mother’s Olympics. Watching the opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing confirmed it, but what struck me was how far the athletic calibre has come from my first Olympic Games of memory: Mexico City. Pre-steroids, pre-minimum age for gymnasts, …
It’s no news flash that in the dictionary under “insecure” it says “see ‘writer.’” We’ve all been there. I’m proud of the fact that after 13 years of freelancing, I’ve progressed to a level where I know when my work is good, just as I know when it isn’t. This insight doesn’t exempt me from …
Writers know it takes a village to create a successful book, and the village is usually populated by supportive friends and family. While we appreciate every copy purchased by Aunt Dottie and BFF Jill, the reality is that it’s not enough to put a significant dent in sales. Read my solution as posted on book …
Thanks to Dan Janal of PRLeads for this great mini-interview! Remote Control by Cynthia Polansky Posted by Dan Janal August 5th, 2008 Question: Who is the intended audience? Answer: Women who like intelligent chick lit, and anyone interested in spirituality. Q: What is the book about? A: Here’s the synopsis: “If the spirit of a loving wife can’t …
So often I am asked if I have always known I would be a writer, or how I knew I wanted to be a working writer. The answers to such questions are always blurry, just as the art of writing is. There are no cut-and-dried, witness-stand answers. Yet I do have a very clear answer …
Remember the 60s’ sitcom That Girl where aspiring actress Ann Marie, American flag in hand, gazes in awe at the New York city skyline? Well, the Big Apple was once just as intimidating to this modestly-successful suburban author. In town some years ago for my first BEA, I wore my awestruck status as bluntly as That Girl. …
Nothing is too humiliating for an author in promotion mode, but even seasoned authors can have reading angst! Authors must wear many hats nowadays, especially with the current economy clamping down on ancillary expenses like publicity. Even Barbara Walters used a HUGE wad of her own money to finance a tour for her new autobiography, Audition. …
WHEN AUTHORS BECOME ACTORS: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Live Readings Read More »