I spotted this gem on the interwebs. It comes from Nathan Bransford's awesome blog. https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2020/01/nail-every-characters-first-impression This has some great advice for introducing characters and is something I know I fumble a bit with. It's really important to make everything a part of the story. Nobody wants to read through pages of stuff that the writer …
Author: Vincent A. Alascia
Vincent is the author of, "In the Presence of Gods," "Xristos: Chosen of God," and coming soon, "Undead Heart," available on Kindle and paperback, as well as works that have appeared in anthologies and online. Originally an East Coast native, he makes his home in the Phoenix area of Arizona with his wife and three attention grabbing felines. Vincent is an active member of the West Valley Writers' Workshop and an Adult Services librarian at the Maricopa County Library District Northwest Regional Library in Surprise, Arizona.
That New Novel Smell
It's NaNoWriMo again. Man that came up fast, didn't we just do this last year? Actually I have never done a NaNoWriMo challenge. I guess I am this month. I had a unique idea come to me in my sleep and figured I'd give a crack at getting it all down. Along with that, I …
The Fourth Prometheus Edits
My editor returned the manuscript to me, and included with it was a thirteen page assessment of the work covering, characters, setting, plot, POV, and voice. It is quite thorough and at first a shot to the ego. This is the most challenging part of the writing process. Your work is laid bare and dissected. …
From the Blogs
I came across this piece on Anne R. Allen's blog. I know I have experienced a host of starts and stalls with my writing. My family and friends are always there with support, especially my wife. Still I can see how for some that might not be the case. Read on and see: How Well-Intentioned …
Prologues are Played Out
I know I may get some comments on how wrong I am. Still, I know I am not a fan of reading them and I wouldn't use them. They had their place for world building or setting up a dramatic arc, but I think there are more interesting ways for a writer to achieve this. …
Publishing Your eBook on Kindle
I came across this post on The Book Designer.com. It contains some really helpful information. Having published four books on Kindle, I've seen and received so many questions on how to self-publish a book. It is daunting but not impossible. Articles like this provide much of what you need to know. The process also changes …
What Does Self-Publishing a Book Cost?
I see this question pop up quite often on Quora.com. The answer is, it varies. The one thing you should never have to pay for is the actual publishing. Unless it's a local press that requires a certain amount of copies to be bought then your book should not cost a thing. Even if it …
Rejections Hurt This May Help
I came across this blog post on the interwebs today and thought it would be a good share. All writers will face rejection and all writers cope with it differently. Knowing that it happens to all of us helps. Knowing what to avoid helps even more. This is where this post from Anne R. Allen …
How Not to Spend Your Money
I've seen many posts about what self published authors should spend some money on. This is the first time I've seen one on what not to spend that money on. I have to say it is a spot on list. As a receiver of emails from some of these services I can tell you right …
Disappearing eBooks
DRM Digital Rights Management has jumped back into the headlines with the closing of Microsoft's eBook store. Users of the store found not only was the store closing but it was also taking it's books with it. https://futurism.com/microsoft-closing-ebook-store The DRM software that comes loaded with the file makes this as easy as flipping a switch …
