CataUniversity | 2009 October

Archive for October, 2009

Quick Tip: Sprint to the finish

By Alice ⋅ October 30, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Another tip for finishing your book: I sprint. I get together in a chatroom or on IM with other writers and we do timed writing together and see who can get the most done. This offers support, and yes, a bit of competition. During sprints, I can write a thousand words an hour. How’s that [...]

Quick Tips: Distractions

By Alice ⋅ October 29, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

A tip for rescuing your writing time: I turn off the internet. Such a distraction for someone like me. My computer makes it pretty easy. There’s a button on the front that turns my wireless internet connection off completely. No email. No websites. No instant messaging. No twitter. No distractions.

How to Write a Query Letter to Sell Your Book or Novel by Brian Scott

By Alice ⋅ October 28, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

A query letter is a formal letter sent by a writer to literary agents, editors and publishers. This is a way for writers to propose their book ideas. If you are a writer, aspiring to get your work published, then writing a persuasive query letter is vital for you to achieve your goal. After all, [...]

Quick Tip: Timed Writing

By Alice ⋅ October 28, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I find that what works best for me is timed writing. I literally set a timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes and then go at it. For some reason that timer puts me in the zone. If you don’t have a timer, there are many free programs you can download from the web. I [...]

Quick Tip: Daily Word count

By Alice ⋅ October 27, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Perhaps you’re not quite as obsessive over your word count as I am. But it’s important to know how you’re doing. And I do believe seeing the numbers can help. Another tool I utilize is an ultra simple spreadsheet to track my daily word count.
This does two things. Not only allowing me to see how my book [...]

Writers

By Alice ⋅ October 26, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Writers aren’t exactly people…. they’re a whole bunch of people trying to be one person.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
This post was submitted by Alice.

Inspiration

By Alice ⋅ October 26, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Write from the soul, not from some notion what you think the marketplace wants. The market is fickle; the soul is eternal.
Jeffrey A. Carver
This post was submitted by Alice.

Quick Tip: You can’t edit a blank page.

By Alice ⋅ October 23, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

This sounds like common sense, right? You can’t edit a blank page. It’s so obvious it’s laughable. But a majority of writers are in love with the idea of being an author, not with the writing itself. Writing is hard. Sometimes it’s even painful.
But the good news is, you can edit and revise. You can [...]

Quick Tip: Stop Reading, Start Writing

By Alice ⋅ October 22, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I came across a book today that is supposed to help you write more. And my immediate thought was, “learn how to write more but read my book first.” That’s not to say that you should stop reading how to books. I will probably put this book on my wishlist. But at a certain point [...]

As a Book Author, Do I Need a Literary Agent? by Brian Scott

By Alice ⋅ October 21, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Writing is a fruitful and fulfilling endeavor. The downside is you may find it difficult to get your book published. The process of convincing publishers to publish your book as well as negotiating on how to market your book may burden you with too much responsibility. The literary agent serves as an important role to [...]

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