Jane Austen Pride and Peppermints (affiliate link) With the festive season almost upon us, we decided to put together a wishlist of some of our favourite gift ideas for writers and readers from the Unemployed Philosophers' Guild. I've never met an author who didn't appreciate a quirky writing-related trinket or two, and here you'll find a range of clever gifts to suit any budget - from small items perfect for stocking fillers or Kris Kringle presents to something a little more substantial.  These are affiliate links meaning that if you purchase something after clicking we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Funds raised will go towards supporting our blog and providing our contributors with a treat or two. (Did you know that we've been blogging about writing and editing for 14 years now? Our archives are well worth a poke around, while you're here.) Alice in Wonderland Disappearing Cheshire Cat mug 'Well, I've often seen a cat without a g...

I keep telling myself that as I frantically prepare for NaNoWriMo , which is suddenly only a week away. I am nowhere close to having a tale to tell, so any bit of help is a blessing. I'm not talking about maid service or a private chef, though both would be nice. I just need something to help me focus and simplify what seems like a huge challenge this year.   Available on Amazon To that end, I was enormously pleased to dig into a gorgeous and tightly written eBook called The 30-Day Novel by Merrie Destefano .  It's a short book, hitting all the usual highlights of planning a novel, but in a brisk and concise way. Under 100 pages, some of which are clever MidJourney AI steampunk images and pages for notes, the book covers these topics: Chapter One: Make A Commitment  Chapter Two: Make A Plan  Chapter Three: Plotting Versus Discovery  Chapter Four: Story Building  Chapter Five: Character Building.  Chapter Six: World Building  Chapter Seven: Ma...

Part 1 What were your first ventures into the world of writing? Did you start out with little short stories? One-act plays with parts portrayed by siblings or friends? Or were your first efforts poetic? If so, were your own writings ever inspired by a poem you had read?  Recently, I was reviewing some of my early attempts at poetry and was struck by one's similarity to a Carl Sandburg classic that I studied in high school. Fog by Carl Sandburg The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Obviously, the comparison of the fog to the silent stealth of the cat intrigued me to the extent that I still remember it. Below are a few lines from my poem, which was written in 1957, a year or two after I studied Sandburg's work. Because it is rather long, I will quote only the first few lines here. Night Night creeps over meadow and hill, Stealthy like a cat,  Minding no one's business but her own, Yet seeing all… This sim...

I'm turning my post this month over to my good friend and fellow author, Ellis Vidler . This is the program she recently gave at the Greenville, SC, Public Library on NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's simple: write 50,000 words on a new novel during the month of November. I've never done it, but Ellis has an outline on how to accomplish such a daunting feat. Pay attention. ~ Polly Iyer PREPARATION: FIRST DRAFT IN THIRTY DAYS 1 GENRE/IDEA Decide on the type of story—crime/romance/suspense/coming of age/adventure/etc. What do you like to read? Base your story on a subject you like, know, or are interested in (something you are capable of researching). Idea sources are everywhere. • News articles • Trade or subject magazines • Movies/documentaries • Other, such as events in your life 2 CHARACTERS Character A and Character B, possibly Character C. Don’t forget the antagonist or the villain. S/h needs a personality, story, and ...

There are three main types of commas that are commonly used, and frequently trip up an unwary writer: 1. In a list 2. Joining with a conjunction 3. Instead of brackets *Commas are NOT meant to be used “wherever you would pause”. Even if you’ve been told this in the past, it is not correct. There are specific rules for using commas , and they don’t include anything about pausing or taking a breath. 1. Commas in a list These are the commas we're most familiar with. Every item on the list is separated by a comma. I bought apples, oranges, grapes, and pears. 2. Commas used with a conjunction This type of comma joins two sentences together with a connecting word such as and, or, but, while, or yet. The comma is placed before the conjunction. We will go to the match, but Jack will go home early. 3. Commas used like brackets If an extra portion of a sentence could be placed in brackets it can be placed between commas instead. A way to test it is to read the sentence without the extra port...

I began my journey writing for Kindle Vella in January, and I'll write an update soon. But first let me share with you yet another #Free promotion from the Amazon powers.  From October 5-11, you can read all Kindle Vella episodes for free, up to 100 episodes per day. Go here to explore and read on your smartphone or using a Kindle app for Vella.  BSP: Click on the left sidebar book image or here to read mine!  I have been super-impressed with the bonuses and promotions that Amazon has offered to stoke the Kindle Vella fires. Even though gaining reader traction is something of a challenge given the format of the platform (episodic reads on gadgets), it's still a fun way to write and publish, and I highly recommend every author give it a go. With National Novel Writing Month  coming up, why not experiment? Have you heard of Kindle Vella? Thought about publishing with them? Already a KV author? Leave us a comment! Dani Greer is founding member of the Blood-Red Penci...

As we journey into my favorite time of year—fall—my thoughts turn to upcoming days of hunkering down in front of the computer during winter storms and writing, writing, writing. Or editing. Or simply reading a great book in front of my electric fireplace, a cup of steaming vegetable soup or hot carob (not chocolate) within easy reach on a nearby table. Is this year different from those of days gone by? For me, at least, it is . . . and it isn't. Friends and family are mostly the same. I am different. The seasons change on the same days this year, just as they have in the past. But the seasons themselves are different. "Hot" has taken on a new meaning. Areas that typically endured high two-digit temps with occasional short trips into the low three-digits now find those three-digit dog days are lasting longer than before. No dog I know of that once loved to bask in the sunshine has an interest in Ol' Sol's blistering rays when the temperature's three-digit numbe...

To help us improve our craft of writing, we’ve all taken classes. Read many articles on the rules of grammar and writing. Listened to members of a critique group talk about writing rules. Which ones should we follow? What advice should we take to heart, or more precisely to keyboard? Answer: Take what works for you and discard the rest. Nothing is cast in stone. My writing workshops all begin with the disclaimer that I don’t know everything, and nothing that will be suggested is a “must.”  Again, take what works for you and discard the rest. That goes for this blog post, too.

My Lord Winter Regency Romance Carola Dunn Audible Audio Tara-Louise Kaye - Narrator Tata House LLC - Publisher 6 hrs 30 minutes $17.46 BOOK BLURB: Lady Jane Brooke sought shelter when her coach broke down, and found herself at the Earl of Wintringham’s estate. Trying to conceal her identity, she introduced herself as a governess. Lord Winter, as the apparently cold earl was called, thawed in response to the delightful Miss Brooke, but she knew he would never approve of her deception.

Writers have a laundry list of things we pay close attention to, not only when writing our books but when reading others’ works. Putting aside the typos or grammatical errors – we all make those in the first hundred drafts - the two things that I watch are dialogue and info dumps. Dialogue is the force behind a good book. If it’s not done well, it can ruin a good story, no matter how good the story is. Is the dialogue stilted or natural? Would a person say that sentence or would only a writer write it? Would the speaker use that word? Those are questions I ask myself when I’m writing.

How do you feel about supporting other authors? There are a lot of us fiction writers around, and we all have stories to tell. Will all of us be successful? In part, that depends on our definition of success. If that definition relies solely on book sales, developing a huge fan base, and making enough money to live the "good life," we might not succeed. 

Amanda Blackwood at her recent book signing at Barnes & Noble, Westminster, CO When I first started this journey I had no idea where it would take me. I knew I had to tell my story of surviving human trafficking but I had no idea how it would turn out. I started telling pieces of my story many years ago on a blog of my own. Eventually some of the more involved, lengthy stories were taken down from the blog and turned into small books. That was the start of everything for me. I’d always wanted to write a book but never saw it as being a possibility. The very idea of writing an entire book seemed so daunting and overwhelming. When I took down a couple of continuation blogs and put them into a single document, I discovered that not only had I already accomplished one of my bucket list items, but that I had something I was proud of. At first I did try to seek out traditional publishing. I had an acquaintance with connections in the publishing industry and I almost got a foot in ...

The title for this post that first came to mind when I decided on a topic was "Writer Beware." Then after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that awareness of simple mistakes we all make at one time or another was more apt.  Ever since a writer friend posted a comment on Twitter that maybe characters in our stories don’t need to nod all the time I’ve become super-sensitive to that movement. In a book I’m currently reading there’s a lot of nodding going on, and I have to wonder if I would’ve noticed that before the Twitter posting. In reply to his tweet I commented that when we have a character nod, we don't have to say “nodded his or her head,” pointing out that there really isn’t another part of the body that one would nod. Of course, if we write sci-fi and have an alien species without a head, that character might nod an elbow or a knee, but for those of us who people our books with humans, we do know what part of the body is used for nodding. Many of the other ...

  Elle Carter Neal interviewed by Angela Sedran of Heads Over Heels, talking about how business coaches, public speakers, or small business owners can learn to write and publish a book on their topics of expertise - even if they don't consider themselves "writers". Elle shares tips for pulling together content quickly and (relatively) painlessly, and discusses the three main considerations to take into account when deciding between traditional- and self-publishing. Learn more at Fully Booked Author , and subscribe to the FBA Vault for access to a new free guidebook, checklist, or video tip each week.

I’ve kind of been in the mud the last few months, maybe longer, but reading the latest posts by my brilliant blog-mates told me that I wasn’t alone. It’s been a difficult time for so many. Wars, gun violence, the murder of children, homelessness, and political discord have filled the news and social media. We’d have to have a hard heart not to let it bother us. Most of us would say we are lucky to be in the situations we’re in and be grateful for that, but we grieve for those who aren’t.  For me, the respite has been visiting my grandkids, who are free from all the angst of the world’s problems, as children usually are. It’s a change of pace watching Booba on TV instead of news, though we’re careful not to let our anxieties rub off on the children. Kids growing up in today’s environment of conflict and hate-mongering must absorb some of it no matter how careful the adults try to keep their young minds on youthful projects. I grew up in a different time. Simpler, with a more unit...

Here on the Blood-Red Pencil blog we've looked at marketing from a lot of different angles. There are professionals whom we can hire to help us promote our books, and that's probably the easiest way if we have the budget for that. Or, if we're published with a major publishing house, and they simply adore our books, they'll often have a marketing plan for it. For the rest of us who are published by smaller houses, or totally self-published, the challenges are greater, and we have to find creative ways to market without becoming a pain in someone's inbox. We also have to balance writing time with marketing time. Something that's not always easy to do. This is where AI can be a game-changer for authors  who don't want to spend all their precious writing time doing marketing and promotion. Having been in this publishing game for more years than I'd like to publicly admit, I've seen trends in promoting wax and wane. When my first books were published by ...