My husband found this excerpt from Mark Twain’s famous criticism of The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper on the blog of Marcel Gagne: Writer and Free Thinker at Large. This excerpt has become known as “Mark Twain’s Rules of Writing.” And I tell you people, verily, these rules are as… Read more“Mark Twain on a Work of Art vs. Literary Delirium Tremens”
Author: Victoria
Damn Spectacular Feet—guest post on Writer Unboxed
Well, folks, it looks like I raised a little dust storm over on Writer Unboxed this weekend with a comic post about the difference between quality fiction and the modern frantic dash for instant 99-cent fame. Sadly, a few commenters misunderstood my encouragement that we strive for spectacular art as… Read more“Damn Spectacular Feet—guest post on Writer Unboxed”
The Writer’s 3 Organizational Tools:
Jadestone Hatchet, Artist’s Easel, & Cat
So, last month was all about writers conferences, and if you were busy all month actually attending those conferences you can catch up with us here, and here, and here, and especially here (a story of hope!). Then last Friday I confessed what happened after that last writers conference, when… Read more“The Writer’s 3 Organizational Tools: <br>Jadestone Hatchet, Artist’s Easel, & Cat”
6 Steps to Tangling with the Publishing Windmill
This is the story about what happened after that Writers Conference in 1996 at which I became friends with the brilliant novelists Lucia Orth and Sasha Troyan. Actually, a lot of things happened, one of them being that I went home and completely rewrote my current novel yet once again…. Read more“6 Steps to Tangling with the Publishing Windmill”
3 Writers, 1 Conference: a Story of Hope
This is writers conference month here, and actually I’m in San Diego right now taking my son to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and laughing at the bad jokes of my father-in-law and just generally hanging out while my husband gives a presentation at a computer conference. A few… Read more“3 Writers, 1 Conference: a Story of Hope”
The Other 5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences
We’ve been talking about writers conferences here, in particular how to make friends and enemies at them. And as I promised last Monday, here are the other five things that should set off your bullshit alarm at writers conferences: A presenter who can’t be bothered to research what they teach… Read more“The <em>Other</em> 5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences”
Breaking News: Anne R. Allen Knows How to Find Lorelei
I know—I’m in the middle of our August writers conference month, including 3 Ways to Make Friends & Enemies at Writers Conferences and 5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences (with its up-coming sequel next week). But I have to take a minute here to report on a conversation I just… Read more“Breaking News: Anne R. Allen Knows How to Find Lorelei”
5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences
‘Tis the season for writers conferences. And last week I told you a story about something that happened at a conference once. Now this week and next I’m going to re-run these two posts I wrote a couple of years ago about writers conferences for all of you out there… Read more“5 BS Indicators for Writers Conferences”
People, we have a logo: Ask Victoria on Writer Unboxed
I know—I’ve been the featured editorial advice columnist Ask Victoria on Writer Unboxed for months now, they’ve got my books on their beautiful site, and they even have me on their regular contributor list because I’m going to become a regular contributor to Writer Unboxed this coming January. And I… Read more“People, we have a logo: Ask Victoria on Writer Unboxed”
3 Steps to Making Friends & Enemies at Writers Conferences
I don’t really attend writers conferences anymore, because it’s much more comfortable to stay home in my cozy attic office editing the books of the coolest writers on the entire planet—but I have attended a few. And I want to tell you a story today about something that happened once… Read more“3 Steps to Making Friends & Enemies at Writers Conferences”